Multiple Sclerosis and Insurance

Saturday, August 1, 2009, 13:10
Multiple Sclerosis
783 views
Add a comment

Dick:

I wonder if you could comment on whether you feel insurance companies realize the importance of this aggressive early treatment.

Dr. Frohman:

I think they do. The insurance companies have been very supportive, but particularly for those patients who are compliant and consistent with their medications, and I think that’s a very important message. Oftentimes, the focus in dealing with a physician initially has to do with What is my diagnosis and what’s going to be the plan of care? That really is the beginning. It’s not the end, and physicians and patients need to be very vigilant about continuing to use these medications.

“It’s very important for people to get on medication and then stay on it.”

Dick:

I’d like to introduce Jan Shilling. Jan is a multiple sclerosis clinical nurse for the Western Multiple Sclerosis Center at the University of Washington Medical Center here in Seattle. Jan, what advice would you have for people whose insurance may not cover the medications they need to manage their disease?

Jan:

It’s very important for people to get on medication and then stay on it. People with multiple sclerosis really need to advocate for themselves and form alliances with the support groups that are available and support agencies that are available both through the Multiple Sclerosis Society and [the Multiple Sclerosis Association, and different support groups or support agencies that are available through the various pharmaceutical companies.

Dick:

We'll also have some online addresses, too, for some of these that are available on the Internet. Next let's introduce Elizabeth McLure. Elizabeth, who has been with us before, has been living with MS since 1997 and has set a personal goal for herself of helping raise awareness and educating others about the disease. Elizabeth, thanks so much for joining us tonight.

What have been the key issues that you have faced in trying to get the right medical coverage for your current medications?

Elizabeth:

[The key issue was] waiting for approval through the insurance company when I first began medication and getting the insurance company to view my medication as a prescription and not as a major medical item. It is a costly impact on a family to pay 20 percent of the injectable drugs, which range from $10,000 to $13,000 a year.

Dick:

Absolutely. Jan used the term “self-advocate.” Is that a role you played?

Elizabeth:

Most definitely. I took the proactive approach of telling my doctor which medicine I wanted to be on and once I found out that I would be responsible for the 20 percent, working with the National MS Society and the insurance commission here in Florida trying to get that changed and to make sure that medications are all looked at the same way.

Dick:

Because issues around insurance are confronted by many with MS, this promises to be a very informative program for all of us.

Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)

Rating: 0 (from 0 votes)

About the Author

admin has written 208 stories on this site.