help...what would you do?... Changed to High Deductible, now prescription (lialda) is too expensive!

OK I'm so discouraged. I recently switched insurance companies because I changed jobs. I'm under the hubby's insurance now. We have an HSA, but not a lot in it. Our deductible is SO high.

Now I found out that they want $700 (that's with the discount card) for my Lialda dose. I'm on 2 pills,1.2G 2x a day. I can't do the patient assistance program, because I made slightly too much last year. (***?! doesn't mean I can afford that!)

So, I can...

1. Suck it up and pay the $700 per month till we hit the deductible- probably right in time for the deductible to reset.
2. Change to a (slightly) cheaper med, and RISK A FLARE (not to mention the Lialda headaches I get when decreasing dosage)

The GI office gave me a list over the phone of what they could switch me to:
Asacol $602
Delzacol $291, lots of pills and more remembering and regimented eating (aka what i like to call obsession)
Aprizo $353, similar to the above

In remission (thank goodness), but I'm dreading a flare! (like, crying over even the thought of having to go through it all over again) I feel so ignorant not checking on this before switching jobs. It's like I gave up a stressful job situation for a stressful medical situation.

I would stick with the Lialda since it works and suck up the $700 since you indicate your insurance year is near end anyway. Can you switch to a lower deductible insurance soon? If you switch meds and flare badly as a result it may wind up costing you more than $700, not to mention costing you your health, which is priceless.

I would order the pills from Canada. It doesn't help with your deductible situation but it's a lot cheaper. I know it's probably not the best thing to do but I do illogical things sometimes.

Copay assistance card doesn't help too much but it will give you a $125 discount. It sounds like she has insurance like I used to, zero copays and a high deductible. With zero copays the most you can save is that $125. Been there done that.

How much would it cost for a script for 4 tabs a day? If there isn't much difference in cost maybe your dr would be willing to give you a script for 4 daily and you can fill it every other month. I am not sure it would help but it is worth asking. I think the total cost before insurance for lialda (2 daily) is $850 or so at my pharmacy.

I really hate hearing of people that can't afford the medication they need because of insurance. Makes you feel like why bother with the insurance. The insurance my husband has gotten is the one that costs the most premium wise but it has been worth every dime for us.

My son had hospital bills the beginning of the year that could have ruined us and we only paid about $2000. Our prescription coverage is awesome too. Nothing for generics and Lialda which I am also on is $25 but with the prescription card I pay $10. I have stocked up in case his job changes which it may in a few months again.

It sucks when they can't give you an answer on cost until it is submitted first. Seems like there should be a patient's bill of rights where you have a legal right to find out how much something is going to cost you before you buy it. With a lot of this medical stuff you just don't know until after the fact that you have to pay out of pocket $100 for the Tylenols they gave you in the hospital.

Don't lose sight of the fact that in the US there are many different kinds of insurance policies, even from the same insurance company. With some you have a high premium and low deductibles and with others you have a less expensive premium with higher deductibles. In the end, many of them come out at about the same price. My last insurance did not have copays for meds and lower premiums and higher deductibles. I would also pay several hundred dollars a month for meds until the deductible was met and then the meds and everything else for the rest of the year was totally free, no copays or anything. I would usually meet the deductible by August and every single thing, meds included, were toally free for my whole family for the rest of the year. Sometimes paying $700 per month for one med isn't really as bad as it seems on the surface.

Something else to watch out for with deductible is the total "out of pocket" which is separate and higher than the deductible.

This year I switched to a lower deductible but a high out of pocket because my UC is doing well and I thought I'd not even hit the deductible. I did but now have to pay 50% of all bills until my $6500 out of pocket is met (won't happen).

My UC is costing very little outside of Rx but I had 2 skin cancers removed which was expensive.
I'll say it again, people on Medicare have a sweet deal which every American should have.
My spouses medical bills are ridiculously small and so is his premium.