rheumatoid arthritis and medicare

Hi everyone and thanks for reading.

My wife has a Dx of rheumatoid arthritis and she went on social security disability. Soon she will be on Medicare, My insurance from where I use to work ( I am now retired ) will not cover people on medicare.
My question is how much will medicare pay for her treatment ? I have seen the cost of biologics, and if we have to pay for them, we will be broke in a few years wiping out our savings. I have medical problems too, and dont think I can work. I have seen that there is some help out there for paying for biologics, but do they expect you to be broke before they will help? My wife has been on 2 or 3 different biologics and now goes to the hospital once a month and gets an infusion for her RA. None of these treatment plans have offered her total relief and she does have side effects. My wife is 59. If anyone has been in the same boat or can respond with some kind of advice, please respond

Thank you.

also would like to know your yearly cost for treating your RA while on medicare..... Thank you

Post Edited (jason11) : 8/6/2014 9:02:12 AM (GMT-6)

From NCBI www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3018780/]:
Medicare Part B traditionally has covered the medication and administration costs of treatments given by infusion, including chemotherapy, and with the advent of biologic agents, medications such as infliximab

Your wife needs to research Medicare Part D plans. She needs to find one that covers the most cost of biologics that are administered by her. This is in case she changes biologics.

Have you tried www.pparx.org? They can lead you to several programs for free or reduced price medications. Best wishes.

Ides said...
From NCBI www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3018780/]:
Medicare Part B traditionally has covered the medication and administration costs of treatments given by infusion, including chemotherapy, and with the advent of biologic agents, medications such as infliximab

Your wife needs to research Medicare Part D plans. She needs to find one that covers the most cost of biologics that are administered by her. This is in case she changes biologics.

If you have a choice of optional plans stay away from UnitedHealthCare as they would not cover methotrexate for me and that can add $60.00 to your bills...and they limited my physical therapy to only 20 sessions, you might try calling each optional healthcare plan offered by medicare and ask if your medications will be covered. Also ask if physical therapy is covered and read all the fine print!

Physical therapy helps, especially if she can do water therapy. just the motion of walking in water helps...

Hope this helps...Many well wishes to you both...

     

      Hi, I went on SSDI at 55y/o---had to wait 2 years to get Medicare.  I have been on several medicare advantage  plans--I would say Aetna was the best; now on a good one that is only in N.Y. State.  Any plan " re-sets" jan.1st--super stress for happy New Year.   Since my husband died and I am alone I am unexpectedly " low income". There are many private foundations to help with co-pays  --If they have funding; If you qualify; If you are one of first to apply.  Hence the yearly stress.  Medicare plans cannot deny coverage for any pre-existing condition.  If the low income  does not apply,  there are infusion Biologics when administered in a hospital infusion center there is no cost--covered by Medicare Part B; not D.  I had to go that route 2 years ago when donations to private foundations were down.

     All enough stress to try to figure out to make you literally sicker.       ( The infusion drug i tried was Orencia---did nothing for me but cause side-effects. there are more & more others each year--The next i would try is Actemra if i have to--supposed to help with fatigue the most.  Remicade not reccomended for me because Humira did nothing for me & the mode of action is similar.)  Everyone responds differently---what a fun crap shoot.     good Luck, Louise