The Cost of Cancer

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Current mood: Outraged!

I'm sure you've heard the expression, "What do you think money grows on trees?"

I believe that the drug companies think this to be true.

Let me just start off by saying, I am one of the more fortunate ones here in the United States. I have excellent health benefits!

But what about the millions of others who don't.....

Everyday when I go to get my mail, there is always some type of doctor's bill or my health insurance sends me another bill of summary. This has been going on since the end of February, when my cancer crapness journey began.

Right now I'm just paying my co-pays. I met my deductible way back in March, so in a way everything after my co-pay is free shall we say....till January 1st and I have to pay my deductible again.

What gets me is the cost of some of my drugs. I get these bills of summary and it just blows my mind!

Over the summer while I was going through chemo, I needed a shot every other week to boost my white blood cell count. The cost of this shot....$3000. Now I needed 6 of these, you do the math.....$18,000. I can't even imagine having to pay this.

I just got another bill of summary and on this was the cost of a drug I need to take for a whole year. I get this drug through an IV every 3 weeks. The cost of this drug.....$6000. Figure that one out....52 weeks in a year divided by 3, we'll just round it off at 17 and then multiple that times $6000. That would be a whopping $104,000. I couldn't afford this drug if I didn't have health insurance.

I feel like I'm doing a commercial. Nuelasta shot: $3000. Herceptin treatment: $6000. Never getting cancer and staying healthy: priceless.

But seriously who the hell puts the price tags on these drugs! I can't even imagine not having health insurance and having to pay those bills. The sad thing is there are people out there that have to do this......I thought the United States was supposed to be the best country in the world? After watching Michael Moore's movie Sicko and dealing with my own cancer crapness, I'm really beginning to wonder....