Guest guest Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Dear Cmler2, Has anyone ever experienced a shortage of pills when you receive your Gleevec in the Norvartis bottle that states 90 pills? For those of you who are on Gleevec, do you count your pills stated on each bottle that you may receive? I recently had a bottle from Norvartis that had only 85 pills, instead of the 90 pills. Then my health insurance Caremak, who I have to order the prescription from shortens the number of days in each month and does not provide me with a 31 day supply, for the months that include the 31 days. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, even though I live in Illinois. My husband is a Banker with LaSalle Banks, who got bought out by Bank of America. As of this April 2008 my insurance carrier was replaced by BCBS of Georgia. When I called Caremark to let them know I was being shorten by the extra day in the different months, they said they only give prescription for 30 days. Would I need my Oncologist to write that prescription that specifies that I need medical prescriptions for 30 to 31 days, so that I am not short every 31 days of my prescription, since they do deduct from my husband's paycheck each month for the insurance, and this does include the prescription company called Caremark, ( they claim they are less expensive for the Gleevec drug), however they never disclose what they pay for a claim each month. Has anyone experienced a problem with their prescription drug company not yielding to the proper day supple each month? Or is this a new technical notice that insurance companies are scoffing off? If I needed to complain through regulatory insurance would I complain out of Georgia, because Blue Cross Blue Shield is of Georgia, not Illinois? Does anybody know how to contact them? I appreciate your responses? Thanks, Dory Doggie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2008 Report Share Posted September 30, 2008 The average prescription is for 90 days from the Onc a lot cheaper. 600 gleevec 12/23/05 ----- Original Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Hi Dory, I have counted the 4 bottles of 90 pills 100mg Gleevec before. They all have the right number of pills. Is your bottle sealed when you received it? If not, the pharmacy may have taken a few pills away depends on your prescription. I think the insurance will cover 30 days supply of prescription, but not 31 days even some months has 31 days. They specifically stated 30 day supply so the extra day they are not going to pay. If you get your pills on the 1st of the month, you will need to get your next 30 day supply on 31st of the month. I just order my refill whenever I use up my 30 day supply. I have Anthem BCBS. When I go online to check my pharmacy claim, they show how much they pay for my prescription. Maybe Caremak has member log in that can be accessed to see your claim status? I used to get 90 day supply. My insurance does not allow 90 days refill anymore. Only 30 day supply is allowed. They never really tell me why they change that. Take care... > > Dear Cmler2, > > Has anyone ever experienced a shortage of pills when you receive your Gleevec > in the Norvartis bottle that states 90 pills? For those of you who are on Gleevec, > do you count your pills stated on each bottle that you may receive? > > I recently had a bottle from Norvartis that had only 85 pills, instead of the 90 pills. > Then my health insurance Caremak, who I have to order the prescription from > shortens the number of days in each month and does not provide me with a > 31 day supply, for the months that include the 31 days. > > I have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, even though I live in Illinois. My husband > is a Banker with LaSalle Banks, who got bought out by Bank of America. As of > this April 2008 my insurance carrier was replaced by BCBS of Georgia. > > When I called Caremark to let them know I was being shorten by the extra day in > the different months, they said they only give prescription for 30 days. Would > I need my Oncologist to write that prescription that specifies that I need medical > prescriptions for 30 to 31 days, so that I am not short every 31 days of my prescription, > since they do deduct from my husband's paycheck each month for the insurance, and > this does include the prescription company called Caremark, ( they claim they are less > expensive for the Gleevec drug), however they never disclose what they pay for a claim > each month. > > Has anyone experienced a problem with their prescription drug company not > yielding to the proper day supple each month? Or is this a new technical > notice that insurance companies are scoffing off? > > If I needed to complain through regulatory insurance would I complain out of Georgia, > because Blue Cross Blue Shield is of Georgia, not Illinois? > > Does anybody know how to contact them? I appreciate your responses? > Thanks, > Dory Doggie > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 3, 2008 Report Share Posted October 3, 2008 My insurance only covers 30 days at a time but I can refill before the 30 days are up. Since I have to take Gleevec thoretically for the rest of my life .....it doesn't matter if they give me 30 or 31 pills because I just keep ordering more when i am down to about a weeks worth. Chi From: cy_butterfly3 <cy_butterfly3@...> Subject: [ ] Re: Gleevec shortage..... Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 7:03 PM Hi Dory, I have counted the 4 bottles of 90 pills 100mg Gleevec before. They all have the right number of pills. Is your bottle sealed when you received it? If not, the pharmacy may have taken a few pills away depends on your prescription. I think the insurance will cover 30 days supply of prescription, but not 31 days even some months has 31 days. They specifically stated 30 day supply so the extra day they are not going to pay. If you get your pills on the 1st of the month, you will need to get your next 30 day supply on 31st of the month. I just order my refill whenever I use up my 30 day supply. I have Anthem BCBS. When I go online to check my pharmacy claim, they show how much they pay for my prescription. Maybe Caremak has member log in that can be accessed to see your claim status? I used to get 90 day supply. My insurance does not allow 90 days refill anymore. Only 30 day supply is allowed. They never really tell me why they change that. Take care... > > Dear Cmler2, > > Has anyone ever experienced a shortage of pills when you receive your Gleevec > in the Norvartis bottle that states 90 pills? For those of you who are on Gleevec, > do you count your pills stated on each bottle that you may receive? > > I recently had a bottle from Norvartis that had only 85 pills, instead of the 90 pills. > Then my health insurance Caremak, who I have to order the prescription from > shortens the number of days in each month and does not provide me with a > 31 day supply, for the months that include the 31 days. > > I have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, even though I live in Illinois. My husband > is a Banker with LaSalle Banks, who got bought out by Bank of America. As of > this April 2008 my insurance carrier was replaced by BCBS of Georgia. > > When I called Caremark to let them know I was being shorten by the extra day in > the different months, they said they only give prescription for 30 days. Would > I need my Oncologist to write that prescription that specifies that I need medical > prescriptions for 30 to 31 days, so that I am not short every 31 days of my prescription, > since they do deduct from my husband's paycheck each month for the insurance, and > this does include the prescription company called Caremark, ( they claim they are less > expensive for the Gleevec drug), however they never disclose what they pay for a claim > each month. > > Has anyone experienced a problem with their prescription drug company not > yielding to the proper day supple each month? Or is this a new technical > notice that insurance companies are scoffing off? > > If I needed to complain through regulatory insurance would I complain out of Georgia, > because Blue Cross Blue Shield is of Georgia, not Illinois? > > Does anybody know how to contact them? I appreciate your responses? > Thanks, > Dory Doggie > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 China, That sound fine, but if one's insurance stays the same year to year, you would not run into problems. However, if you look at the months that include the 31 days there are approximately 4 you mutiply this by your number of Gleevec, ( which my daily dosage is 4) and that runs like 16 pills of shortage per year. Why would you pay for health insurance,and copays if you were going to be shorten by 16, pills by the specialty pharmaceutical? Does this make sense? I am going to contact my husband's HR department and I am going to write a letter of Appeals to BCBS of Georgia, and lodge a complain to the Health Insurance Commissioner in Georgia, maybe they will over rule the shortage of cancer pills to any patient in the future. What does this mean for diabetics, or anyone else who needs a 31 day supple of medications instead of 30 day supplies? What is the point of health insurance when they make silly rules like supply only 30 days when there are 4 months in the year, that has the extra day? I hate to be passive about a situation like this, and who is getting the short end of the medication? Thanks, Dory Doggie From: cy_butterfly3 <cy_butterfly3> Subject: [ ] Re: Gleevec shortage.... . groups (DOT) com Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2008, 7:03 PM Hi Dory, I have counted the 4 bottles of 90 pills 100mg Gleevec before. They all have the right number of pills. Is your bottle sealed when you received it? If not, the pharmacy may have taken a few pills away depends on your prescription. I think the insurance will cover 30 days supply of prescription, but not 31 days even some months has 31 days. They specifically stated 30 day supply so the extra day they are not going to pay. If you get your pills on the 1st of the month, you will need to get your next 30 day supply on 31st of the month. I just order my refill whenever I use up my 30 day supply. I have Anthem BCBS. When I go online to check my pharmacy claim, they show how much they pay for my prescription. Maybe Caremak has member log in that can be accessed to see your claim status? I used to get 90 day supply. My insurance does not allow 90 days refill anymore. Only 30 day supply is allowed. They never really tell me why they change that. Take care... > > Dear Cmler2, > > Has anyone ever experienced a shortage of pills when you receive your Gleevec > in the Norvartis bottle that states 90 pills? For those of you who are on Gleevec, > do you count your pills stated on each bottle that you may receive? > > I recently had a bottle from Norvartis that had only 85 pills, instead of the 90 pills. > Then my health insurance Caremak, who I have to order the prescription from > shortens the number of days in each month and does not provide me with a > 31 day supply, for the months that include the 31 days. > > I have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, even though I live in Illinois. My husband > is a Banker with LaSalle Banks, who got bought out by Bank of America. As of > this April 2008 my insurance carrier was replaced by BCBS of Georgia. > > When I called Caremark to let them know I was being shorten by the extra day in > the different months, they said they only give prescription for 30 days. Would > I need my Oncologist to write that prescription that specifies that I need medical > prescriptions for 30 to 31 days, so that I am not short every 31 days of my prescription, > since they do deduct from my husband's paycheck each month for the insurance, and > this does include the prescription company called Caremark, ( they claim they are less > expensive for the Gleevec drug), however they never disclose what they pay for a claim > each month. > > Has anyone experienced a problem with their prescription drug company not > yielding to the proper day supple each month? Or is this a new technical > notice that insurance companies are scoffing off? > > If I needed to complain through regulatory insurance would I complain out of Georgia, > because Blue Cross Blue Shield is of Georgia, not Illinois? > > Does anybody know how to contact them? I appreciate your responses? > Thanks, > Dory Doggie > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 , I am really late on reading all 151 emails. My life is too busy with 3 kids, and getting back into Internet, can be difficult at times in my life! My Oncologist does not sell them. Is your Oncologist a CMLer specialist? I wonder who in our group is actually seeing a cmler specialist, who is not in a clinical trial? I don't think we even have Cmler Specialist here in the Midwestern state of Illinois, except the large hospitals. Thanks for the reply! Dory Doggie Re: [ ] RE: Gleevec shortage..... The average prescription is for 90 days from the Onc a lot cheaper. 600 gleevec 12/23/05 ----- Original Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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