She relied on urgent care for nebulizer treatments. After many phone calls to the county and Medicare, the specialist learned that she was not coded on the correct Medical Assistance program, one that worked with her Medicare. The caller was also struggling with pneumonia and was unable to fill her prescriptions. She was concerned about a potential lapse in her health care coverage. Her Medical Assistance (MA) coverage was no longer valid for filling her medications once she was on Medicare. The caller was referred to the Senior LinkAge Line because her pharmacy told her she did not have coverage for her urgently needed medications. Chemo treatment at risk because of plan mixupsĪ specialist received a call from a 63-year-old who was certified disabled and receiving treatments for a cancer diagnosis. Our assistance saves him over $100/month. If the caller hadn’t reached out to the Senior LinkAge Line and we weren’t able to offer GoodRx, he would have had much higher costs. His medication costs under the Medicare Part D plan are much higher than through GoodRx using GoodRx coupons we mail to him. Due to the pandemic, that pharmacy is delayed in getting prescriptions to consumers. Previously, he has gone to a Canadian pharmacy to save money. The lowest cost Medicare plan still leaves him with very high copays. The caller’s household income is too high for Extra Help. We received a call from an individual, age 78. In the meantime, this individual does not have needed medications and is at risk for their health deteriorating without them. The individual has applied for Extra Help (also called Low Income Subsidy) but is waiting to learn if they qualify. Their arthritis medication, Xeljanz, costs $4,800 per month and copays would be over $1,000 each month even after being covered by Medicare. The individual had been out of medications for several months and could not afford to buy more due to the high cost. The caller is eligible for Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD) but still wouldn’t be able to make ends meet. Unaffordable: medication costs at $4,800 per month with $1,000 copayĪ specialist assisted a caller in their early 60s who is certified disabled and will qualify for Medicare in a few months. Our specialists hear heartbreaking stories resulting from the high cost of prescription drugs. Trellis provides these services in the Twin Cities metro area. Specialists with the Minnesota Senior LinkAge Line ® talk with thousands of older adults and their caregivers each year.
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