Clusterheadaches.com Message Board (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
New Message Board Archives >> 2003 Posts >> I'd like to heard about what is in the USA
(Message started by: totka on Jan 22nd, 2003, 7:14am)

Title: I'd like to heard about what is in the USA
Post by totka on Jan 22nd, 2003, 7:14am
I wrote some facts about Hungary - treatments, insurance, O2, ... in my 'Milk?' topic. But I interest in what is in the USA. (I hope so it's grammatically correct)
Eg. can you get 'unlimited quantity' Imitrex or not, how works your insurance, what about the price...? How can you get O2? We found out this substance just now (in the CH therapy  ;) we breathe it too!)
If somebody's a few minutes please answer me.
Thanks a lot & PFDAN

Title: Re: I'd like to heard about what is in the USA
Post by Karla on Jan 22nd, 2003, 8:51am
Most people can not get an unlimited quantity.  Our insurance companies regulate how much imitrix we can get not our doctors.  Imitrix is very very expensive in the US like $300-$600 for a couple of doses.  However, with insurance I only pay $10 for my perscription.  This is good.  Drs perscribe the oxygen for us most the time.  So we have oxygen tanks at home, work, car etc.  However, if the dr wont then some people go the the fire department and get the oxygen for free.  The problem is you have to go there every time you get a headache to get the oxygen.  Hope this helped some.

Title: Re: I'd like to heard about what is in the USA
Post by jonny on Jan 22nd, 2003, 9:08am
Some people who can not get 02 from the bastard doctors use welding 02, it works just as good.

........................jonny

Title: Re: I'd like to heard about what is in the USA
Post by Brassbear on Jan 22nd, 2003, 9:35am
totka,

That is difficult to answer. Unlike Hungary we don't have one "insurance" company but literally thousands of them. Each one has it own policy. Then we have these really horrible programs called HMOs. They will only pay for certain amounts to certain doctors, etc, etc.

Imitrex is expensive. I'm still using 25 mg tablets until I can get in to see the neurologist. 9 tablets = $137.50. I use at least 9 tablets a week. Thank goodness I retired form the Navy and they pay most of the bill...

jonny- found a guy 30 miles from the house that owns his own oxygen supply company. I have to buy the tank, $135.00 for an 80 cu. ft. He fills it there, I have to take it back and forth. No hassels with him at all.

Michael

Title: Re: I'd like to heard about what is in the USA
Post by jonny on Jan 22nd, 2003, 9:42am
Thats great news, Mike!!!

The drive wont kill ya, I drive 60 miles round trip to my shop everyday ;D

...............jonny :D

Title: Re: I'd like to heard about what is in the USA
Post by Mark C on Jan 22nd, 2003, 10:18am
Clusterheads do not get much attention from the mainstream medical community. This makes diagnosis and treatmenet quite difficult for most of us . Years of mis-diagnosis and mis-treatment are common. Mainly because Doctors are taught more about CH from us than from medical school. The drug companies seem to much more interesred in marketing to the obviously more lucrative migrane market. I have yet to see an ad for Imitrex used for CH, hell for that fact I have yet to see any ad promoting a CH treatment. In spite of all of this, after many years, no decades, I feel I am finally getting some effective treatment. I have insurance through my employer. Because of the size of my employer, over 14,000 worldwide, we get some of the best rates. Still, for my family of four a years coverage, with no deductable is near $400.00 a month. It has taken letters of need from both my General and my Neuro to my insurance company to get more than the token amount of medicine they provide. I do pay a co-pay  for prescriptions but it is not near the purchase price of the Triptans. Zomig is currently $26.50 each (per pill!) and Imitrex injection is $65.00 a shot. Very few people could afford such high prices for such a life giving medicine. It does seem to be a flawed system, but it is what we have. Try to learn to jump through the hoops to get the prize seems to be the status quo. PFDAN's,
Mark




Clusterheadaches.com Message Board » Powered by YaBB 1 Gold - SP 1.3.1!
YaBB © 2000-2003. All Rights Reserved.