The prices of branded drugs within the US are thrice as the identical drugs cost in other countries. And within the last KFF survey3 out of 10 adults reported that in some unspecified time in the future on the time didn’t take medicine as advisable.
“Arm and leg” is gathering history From the listeners about what they did, after obtaining the needed drugs within the face of the sticker’s shock.
If you’ve ever met with difficult selections to afford medicine, “arm and leg” would love to listen to about it. If you need to make a contribution, you can Learn more and send your stories Using this way.
And Weissmann
The host and producer of “ARM and legs”. Earlier Dan was a reporter of the Marketplace and WBez staff in Chicago. His works also appear in all things, the market, BBC, 99 percent of invisible and revealing from the middle of investigators.
Loans
Manufacturer Emily Preta producer Claire Davenport Adam Raymonda Audio Wizard Ellen Weiss Editor click to open the transcript
Transcription: How do you deal with wild drug prices?
Note: “arm and leg” uses software to acknowledge speech to generate transcripts that will contain errors. Use the transcript as a tool, but check the proper sound before valuation of the podcast.
AND: Hey –
So first: Whoa. Lots is occurring. I record it on January 30. I won’t attempt to summarize what the Trump administration has been doing to date in the sphere of healthcare – because before you hear it, I do not know what else could occur.
Oh, boy. We will certainly have loads to speak this 12 months. In the meantime, all of the things we talked about on this program … continues to be happening.
So we have now cooking a project and I want your help. It’s about how rattling we pay for medicine. And what can we do about it.
This problem is something that hits a lot of us. The great last survey asked: Did you skip medication last 12 months due to the costs? 1 / 4 of individuals answered yes.
And we all know that numerous people spend every kind of time and energy, attempting to ensure that that they do not must go without drugs that cost greater than they will afford, or break down for them.
I’m in search of coupons, not destroying insurance, ordering medicines in online pharmacies – even pharmacies in other countries. And in some cases, taking every kind of epic adventures.
One of the primary episodes of this program concerned Laura Derrick from Austin Texas. And how she turned her life the other way up in 2011. She just began a brand new drug.
A drug that might save her life. And then, almost immediately, two things happened. One thing: Laura learned how much this drug costs.
Laura Derrick: I used to be insured. So I didn’t pay, but the primary bill was over $ 55,000.
Dan (conversation with Laura): And it is sort of a month of delivery
Laura: Monthly supply.
Dan (conversation with Laura): How much was your participation?
Laura: UM, my participation was about USD 20.
AND: And then something second: her husband was diagnosed with cancer. Late stage cancer. He needed intensive treatment, which meant he couldn’t work. Which meant he was to lose insurance.
And it was before the implementation of the Act on inexpensive care. If you had a previously existing condition and didn’t receive work from work, you couldn’t buy insurance.
So Laura Derrick needed a job. She knew individuals who willingly employ her, but there was a catch.
Laura: My last 12 months of my daughter, within the last 12 months of my son’s studies. I left our family with my husband in treating cancer, since the only work they might offer was in Ohio.
And he offered us an insurance policy with zero deduction, which cost $ 20 a month for the entire family and covered the whole lot we wanted. But it meant that I had to depart for nearly a 12 months and a half.
AND: By the best way, this work was within the Barack Obama re -election campaign in 2012. Laura was determined to win – in order that Aca might be implemented so that folks, including her – and her family, could get insurance without running so far as she.
But saying, having insurance doesn’t mean a scarcity of problems. For some people, getting drugs-may not mean taking a job away from the family-but the fight against insurance can change into a really frustrating part-time job.
When I talked to Lillian Karabaic, in 2022, she polished: attempting to avoid a crushing bill for Enbrel. These are expensive drugs of rheumatoid arthritis, which she has been taking for years.
Lillian is a financial journalist who teaches financial well -being to the millennium. So, as you can imagine, it is vitally organized.
And once we talked concerning the adventure she was at in the mean time, she used the time tracking software:
Lillian Karabaic: Okay, so nine hours and 32 minutes have passed within the last two weeks, which I spent on the healthcare administrator, which mainly on telephone conversations.
AND: What began all these phone calls was a rude awakening. Literally. From her phone.
Lillian: Suddenly I got a text message from my special pharmacy with information that I even have a co -creator of $ 3,000. This shouldn’t be a text message to which someone desires to get up.
AND: When we talked-on a day and almost ten hours of telephone calls after this text message-Lillian … he gave up getting out of this three thousand dollars. And he began working on inventing easy methods to pay it.
Lillian: But I delay what’s inevitable, not less than long enough to use for a bank card, which has an honest registration bonus. So not less than I can get something out of this example.
AND: Yes: We understand how difficult it could be. Was. Is.
I even have the impression that you may also know slightly about it. Perhaps you didn’t receive a text message with information that you should owe three thousand bucks.
But you could actually be in a situation by which they ask: “Holy nonsense, should I pay so much for my drugs? What?”
– And it could be 1000’s of dollars, a whole bunch of dollars or $ 60. If it’s loads for you, it’s loads. And that is why I would like your help:
If you were in such a situation, what did you do? What did you learn? Maybe you have learned a method that really worked for you. Maybe it was: “Man, I learned about the new way I will live.”
However, the whole lot went – nonetheless: what did you learn that you want other people to know? It doesn’t must be a fantastic secret. Just something you would say to a friend in the event that they asked.
But I’m almost sure that there are strategies that little enough, which he doesn’t know. I’m also sure that there are latest ways of beating.
The more we study them, the more we will work to do something with them. So I’m asking you to share all this.
By the best way, I do know that you may not do it for yourself, for your individual medicines. Perhaps you do it for a member of the family, or perhaps you are a health care employee who tries to assist the patient – or patients. Or lawyer or social employee.
Have you worked on it? Have you learned something that the remainder of us should learn about? I would like to listen to about it. I’d like it if you go to https://armandalegshow.com/drugs/ – And tell me about it. You can briefly or long.
This is https://armandalegshow.com/drugs/. We can have a link where you will find it, and you can just click.
And if you weren’t in such an adventure- what, one: good. Actually, I’d love to listen to about it. I do not mind listening to excellent news about good people. Not the whole lot have to be a nightmare.
And I’d like it if you gave this request. Because someone you know probably has a story we must always hear about.
Encourage them to bring this story here. History with a lesson or query. For example: “Can they go crazy?!? Is there anything I can do about it? Is there anything that someone can do with it? ”
Over the subsequent month or two, we are going to delve into the whole lot you bring to us. We can call you for more details. A tip to some experts to get answers to a few of your questions.
Then this spring we are going to begin to share what we’re learning. The place to bring is https://armandalegshow.com/drugs/.
We can have a link where you listen. With a link to some resources, it could be helpful. Thank you very much!
Meanwhile, I’ll catch you in just a few weeks with a brand new episode. Take care of yourself until then.
This is a arm and a leg, a program about why health care costs so rattling and what we will do with it.
ARM and Leg February 3, 2025 season 13, episode 2 p. 5
The arm and leg are produced by me, Dan Weissmann, with the assistance of Emily Pisacreta and Claire Davenport – and edited by Ellen Weiss.
Adam Raymonda is our audio wizard. Our music is by Dave Weiner and Blue Dot Sessions. Bea Bosco is our consulting director for operational. Lynne Johnson is our operational manager.
The arm and leg are produced in cooperation with KFF Health News. This is the national newsroom, which produces in-depth journalism on health problems in America-the basic program in KFF: Independent source of health policy research, surveys and journalism.
Zach Dyer is a senior audio producer at KFF Health News. Is the editorial connector of this program. We are distributed by KUOW, NPR News Station in Seattle.
And due to the Institute of the Non-Profit News Institute for performing the function of our fiscal sponsor. They allow us to simply accept tax exempt donations. You can learn more about Inn on Inn.org.
Finally, thank you to everyone who supports this program financially. You can join at any time to armandalegshow.com/support/.
Thanks for listening.
“Arm and leg” is a co -production KFF Health News and Public Road Productions.
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