My dh got a vasectomy three years ago. Recently my periods were coming on whenever they wanted, so a few months ago I went back on the pill to keep me regular. With my insurance from my previous company I only paid about $30 for a three month supply. I went to the pharmacy tonight to get another supply (with my new insurance) and they wanted to charge me $135 for a three month supply. I never paid that much in the past when I was on the pill. Is anyone else paying that much? Do you think they made a mistake? Let me know. Please feel free to email me if you don't want to post here. Thanks ~ nikmom@yahoo.com

well what I think is these ins companies are no longer wanting to pay for it so it could be the whole amount you are being charged

I know if you qualifiy you can go other places like planned parenthood & so on & they have a sliding scale for the pills

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unfortunately ,some insurances do not cover the Pill!!!! and $45 for 1 month is what I used to pay !!!

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There is really no way to tell without knowing more information. I know our co-pay for rx's went from $5 to $15 to a sliding scale where now they might be $5 - $25, depending on the cost of the drug.

Do you pay for your coverage, or does an employer pick up the tab? I know insurance premiums have gone through the roof, and in order to keep premium costs down, benefits have been trimmed. For instance, our Blue Cross policy's premiums went up 8%, which is roughly $90/month or $1,080/year. At the same time, our individual maximum co-insurance went from $1,500 per person to $1,650. Had they tried to keep us with a plan that would've maintained that $1,500/pp co-insurance, our monthly premium would've been a full 25% more! Not worth the jump in premium costs for 80 employees to have a few families save an extra $150 if they have a family member hit that threshhold.

We're all gettig less coverage for our insurance dollar than we were even a year or two ago... so if the employer has scaled back the script benefits (even tho he is probably still kicking in the same amount of money towards your premium!) then it's quite likely you had to pay the full amount.

Also... one thing to find out would be if, since you aren't taking the pill purely for b/c, if it is covered for you where it might not be for someone just wanting it for b/c. Having sex isn't really a "medical condition" and so the pill as a preventative agent is sometimes a non-covered expense. However, if your need for the pill stems solely from messed-up hormones, that might make a difference.

If you get the generic, your co-payments will be cheaper

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That's what I was going to say too. You could ask for the generic version, mabye that would be cheaper? I only pay $12 a month and if I go through the mailorder pharmacy it's $12 for a 3 month supply.

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my daughter must take the pill and she pays $40 per month for the one she is on. She has tried other pills and nuva ring but nothing works for her female problems. we finally have one that works but it is so expensive. And her insurance won't cover birth control which is stupid IMO

You know I don't get these insurance companies at all, now what would you rather pay for a person taking the pill or going to the hospital and having a baby??? Hmmm which is the higher cost? Not too hard to figure out.

That is exactly what I said last night to the Pharmacist.

Insurance has lots of different plans from cheap to expensive to choose from. If your employer bought the "cheap" version, then insurance isn't going to pay as much. It's not the insurance companies, it's the employers that are trying to save a buck and not buying the richer insurance plans they used it.

Lisa

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Have your doctor write the insurance company stating that it is medically neccesary for you to be on the birth control pills. This is how to get the insurance companies to pay for it when they don't want to. I've had MANY female problems and taken the pills to keep my cycles regular. This was how I got it covered and most Dr.s don't mind doing it for you. Recently I've been going to the county health department for my stuff. I don't have insurance right now and I work in the medical field. I pay about $20 for my depo shots. They are wonderful I have NO PERIODS at all. No more suffering. They wouldn't give me the pill anymore because I'm nearly 40 and have high cholesteral which I guess makes it higher risk. I don't understand it all. Other option aren't open to me as I am allergic to latex. It's amazing how many BC methods are made with latex. Diaphrams, nuva ring, IUD's. This did not leave me with many options.

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I would also suggest asking your Dr for samples. I have bad female problems and I decided to try the pill again after many years. My Dr gave me a 3 month supply and when that was about out I called again and she gave me 3 more months worth. The pharmacutical co's drop off these by the case load to my OBGYN's office and they do not mind sharing. Maybe your Dr will give you the samples as well. Couldn't hurt to ask...

- Jenn

Believe it or not mine are $1.99 a month - generic. I must have some really good insurance!

my insurance company didn't cover them unless they were "medically necessary" and we had GREAT insurance. I had used the pill in the past to help with cramps so the doc wrote it for cramps, NOT birth control so insurance covered it and I paid $5 copay. The first time I had it filled, it cost $45 for just one month. I said it was supposed to be a copay. Insurance had to talk to the doc and make sure it wasn't for birth control and it was straightened out (hours later).

So, sounds like either your insurance doesn't cover it OR the doctor failed to note it was for your period and not birth control

Insurance is just a joke. I mean they will cover Viagra to help a guy have sex to make a baby but then wont' cover the pill to prevent the baby. Not hard to see that insurance is ran by guys who want to help other guys....

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That's my pet peeve, too! Not just the insurance aspect, but the research funding aspect as well. Why all this attention on male issues.....meanwhile women sweat it out.....quite literally for menopausal women! LOL

cj/

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Wouldn't Viagra be covering a medical condition? A man physically unable to achieve an erection and a woman not wanting to get pregnant are two totally different states.

In an insurance companies eyes, there are other forms of birth control. Most people don't NEED the pill. Sure, there are some women who really need that hormonal regulation, but not everyone. It regulated me and reduced my pain considerably, but 800mg prescription Motrin would have reduced the pain too. Let's face it, I was just killing 2 birds with one stone. I could have gone a cheaper, more inconvenient method and achieved the same results. I never went the insurance route though, I always paid for myself.

Frankly, if people get pregnant, doesn't it just mean more bucks in the insurance companies pocket because THAT being will have to be insured too? lol so it might be better for them if women did get pregnant.

I'm betting that b/c has gone up a lot since I was on it. To me that's kind of crazy. Birth control will make money no matter what. It's not like it's a drug that's only taken by a few people. BC pills could come down in cost, be affordable and still make a lot of money. I think it's crazy to charge as much as they do for such a common drug.

Sometimes I wonder who makes these insurance decisions. My insurance covers a bunch of viagra-type meds and acne meds with $10-$20 copays but my rescue inhaler that I have to keep for emergency asthma attacks costs me $44. What's more important: men's sex lives, clear skin or dying from not being able to breathe? I've never seen a guy in the ER for not being able to "perform" or a teen in the ER for having acne but I've known a lot people who've gone to the ER for asthma.

I don't really see an inconsistency in the fact that they cover viagara but not the pill. Insurance is to cover the rectification of something that is physically wrong. Wanting to avoid pregnancy doesn't mean there is something wrong that needs fixed.

Take car insurance. They won't pay for oil changes, transmission fluid changes, or any of those things a vehicle needs to keep running smoothly. It can be argued that but for having good fluids in the vehicle, the car might freeze up on the interstate and cause a wreck that would cost MORE than just paying for transmission fluid to prevent the problem.

But... that's not what insurance is for.

The reason I do think there may be an inconsistency lies with situations where they cover tubal ligation and vasectomies, but not the pill.

Not sure what rescue inhaler you need. But albuterol is on the $4 list at Walmart.

Thanks for posting about calling your insurance. I am paying about that much for a similar situation (recently diagnosed w/ PCOS)- AND paying for the pills are about to kill me! Going to give it a shot!

Insurance is just a joke. I mean they will cover Viagra to help a guy have sex to make a baby but then wont' cover the pill to prevent the baby. Not hard to see that insurance is ran by guys who want to help other guys....

More babies, more money to be paid for health care..ditto to not paying for aides to help you quit smoking, taking money out of their pocket that way..
Ask your Dr. to say they are NOT for BC which IMHO should be a moot point...and the co-pay will go down. I was in the same place as you before my Hystro in May. I only paid 5.00 a month co=pay for generic.

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I believe in this case the OP was using this as a medical necessity and not for BC as her husband is fixed!!!! Therefore the issue of insurance and babies is not the point here. My mom works as a claims person for insurance companies which is how I knew to tell you guys to get your Dr.s to communicate to the insurance companies the need for it to be covered. Personally I don't think Viagra should be covered either. I think if a guy wants to have sex that bad, he should pay for it!!!!! HAH!!!!!!!! That was TOO FUNNY!!!!!!!!! It is a choice in this country whether a woman want to have a baby. It's a lot cheaper to cover the BC than to cover the pregnancy and new baby. It is unreal how this stuff works. Before medicare covered scripts, we would see the exact same patients in the hospital over and over again for heart failure. Well that was because once they left the hospital they couldn't afford the heart medications and thus the vicious cycle through the hospital. I told my mom, can't they figure out that it is cheaper to pay for the meds than to keep paying the hospital bills? I guess they finally did figure it out.

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I pay $62 for a 6 month supply of birthcontol.I get them at an online pharmacy.

I am so happy now. I am switching to the generic version and it will only cost $30 a month. That is more like it.

When was the last time you got it there? I tried a couple of months ago and was shocked when I went to pick up my prescription only to find I owed a lot more than I expected. I was told that unfortunately, the generic albuterol inhaler has been discontinued by the manufacturer so I can no longer get it. You now have to get a brand name which is a lot more $$$. Does your Wal-Mart still have it? Where are you located? Thanks!

$118 for 3 months here, my insurance won't cover it.

If men could get pregnant you could get the pill over the counter for $10 a year!

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