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Most Americans wouldn't end up paying the 84k. Their insurance would pay for most of that, and negotiate it down further - the other day I was picking up a drug
by ameister14 7y ago
Most Americans wouldn't end up paying the 84k. Their insurance would pay for most of that, and negotiate it down further - the other day I was picking up a drug that without insurance would cost over $1,000. I paid $34.
- dpark 7y agoThat’s garbage. People without insurance are utterly fucked. The uninsured are sacrificed as a negotiating point against insurers. “List price is $5000. We’ll cut you a deal at only $2000!”
- ameister14 7y agoYep, that's all true. It's worse, actually - the government sets reimbursement rates as well, so when they tell a hospital 'we are only going to pay you 60% of what you charge' what do you think a hospital is going to do in response?
- sp332 7y agoThis is a valid thing to be concerned about, but it appears to be false. Gilead has programs that help uninsured people get their drugs, including Harvoni. https://www.gilead.com/purpose/medication-access/us-patient-access https://www.gilead.com/purpose/medication-access/us-patient-...
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- Cyph0n 7y agoIt depends on your plan. If you’re on a HDHP, chances are that prescriptions are not covered until you hit your deductible.
- ameister14 7y agoEven if that's the case, unless your deductible is $40k, which I have never seen before, the insurance would still cover the majority of the cost. Plus if you have chronic Hep C, you're likely spending thousands a year as it is and will continue to do so indefinitely.
- lotsofpulp 7y agoOut of pocket maximum is the relevant figure, and that's $8k for individuals and $16k for families: https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/out-of-pocket-maximum-limit/ https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/out-of-pocket-maximum-li...
- thedaemon 7y agoInsurance is something you pay on all year long, you will eventually pay the 84k and more.
- ameister14 7y agosure - let's say you pay your own insurance, which most people do not do - let's also say you pay an average of $5,500 a year for it, and have insurance from age 26 to 72 - that's 46 years. So you have now spent $253,000 over your lifetime, which is definitely above the 84k. If you only have one disease or hospitalization in your life, however, you're rare - this is also extremely unlikely given your chronic Hep C. As an example, the average cost per person in the US, including healthy people, is $10,000 a year, 4,500 more than your insurance cost.
- pc86 7y agoIn all health insurance, the healthy are subsidizing the sick. If you have Hep C you are costing your insurer a lot more than you're paying them. If you're a very healthy individual and rarely have any issues, you're overpaying by a lot.