... why isn't our government taking a look at our healthcare system? I mean we all know it's seriously fucked. We all know that we as a nation could literally save billions of taxpayers dollars a year if some common sense was used.
Case in point, Albuterol CFC is almost officially dead (obit coming later this week) being replaced by it's step-brothers and sisters of the HFA family. The cost has gone from roughly $12 per CFC inhaler (that's prior to the shortage) to about $27 per HFA inhaler.
Now one would assume that medicaid would switch to paying for one of the albuterol HFA inhalers (either ProAir, Ventolin or Proventil). The most expensive of these is about $35 bucks or so. I mean, c'mon, that would be the logical thing to do right? So you know there is no way in hell they would do that. What do they pay for instead? Xopenex HFA.
They will pay for one of the most expensive inhalers out there instead of the cheapest.
The kicker? They have tried telling us that Xopenex and albuterol are the same things. Um...... no the fuck they are not. Advil and Motrin, that's the same thing. Vicodin and Lortab 5, that's the same thing. Xopenex and albuterol are NOT the same fucking thing. One is albuterol the other is levalbuterol. Sure they're in the same class and they do the same thing, but they are in no way the same medication. And then to tell me I can just switch it without the doc's ok? This little fuckin high school dropout running the phones, because ya know she's had oh so much schooling on medications, is trying to convince me I can do this. I finally hung up on the twat once I realized I wasn't going to get anywhere with her. And yes, I just used the word twat, sue me.
You have to wonder how many mindless techs she told this too who went ahead and did just what she suggested. That's downright scary. Luckily I had written her name down and was intending to report her until I heard similar stories from others whom had talked to other medicaid reps. Oh joy.
So while we give out billions do businesses who fucked themselves on their own, it's nice to know that our government is doing the same thing to themselves. Only problem is, who the hell is gonna bail them out?
7 comments:
Here in Arkansas, Medicaid will pay for Proair or Ventolin but not Proventil. Thank goodness we don't have the problem y'all do.
In Vermont they will only pay for Xopenex HFA because they are getting a kick back from the company. In New Hampshire they only pay for Ventolin HFA...again more kick backs.
Not sure if anyone remembers back when Proair was Albuterol HFA it cost us about the same as the regular albuterols (I think it was about $15 a canister) then it changed to ProAir and suddenly the price tripled...same drug same company same NCD!
Technically, chemically, albuterol and levalbuterol are the same thing (levalbuterol is the L enantiomer of albuterol). BUT for the insurance part of things, Xopenex and ProAir etc are not AB rated. Therefore no substitution. Acutally you technically cannot even interchange ProAir/Ventolin/Proventil without Dr approval.
Anon - that's what I had meant, just didn't clarify that. I mean we can't swap out Nexium for Prilosec or Lexapro for Celexa. Just doesn't work that way.
I hate stereoisomers. I also hate the fact that drug companies only tend to release them when their patent is due to expire. Nexium/Losec- Cipramil/Cipralex, etc. I'm not convinced there is a huge benefit to the patient.
Here in the UK a CFC-free Ventolin Inhaler costs the equivalent of $2. Why are your prices so much more?
Anonymous,
"Technically, chemically, albuterol and levalbuterol are the same thing (levalbuterol is the L enantiomer of albuterol)." That statement contradicts itself. I hate to be the schoolteacher here, but Xopenex (levalbuterol) and Proventil/Ventolin/Proair (albuterol) are not the same thing. Albuterol is a racemic mixture and Xopenex is the l-enantiomer...similar, but definately not technically the same...the same way that Nexium is not the same as Prilosec and Lexapro is not the same as Celexa (I could go on and on). Generally, this is done if one enantiomer is predominantly resp for efficacy and the other for side effects - The theory goes that if you clean it up, you'll get better efficacy and lower side effects. It's all a bs game the pharma companies play in collusion w/the FDA. I call it the janitor's lottery...clean up a racemic mixture and make billions!!!
Which is why someone needs to step in and prevent such an endeavor. If they have research that shows a specific enantiomer is more efficient, use it. But to use them just to make more money after the patent on the original expires is ethically wrong. If any other business attempted to do such a thing they would be hounded by watch groups from every side. The problem is few layman understand the chemistry behind it in order to see what a crock of shit it is.
http://www.savecfcinhalers.org
This morally despicable forced change of medication is making thousands upon thousands of asthma
sufferers sick.
See their explanations of what is going wrong at these two links:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveCFCinhalers/signatures.html
https://www.savecfcinhalers.org/Guestbook.php
Fight back and hold those responsible for this travesty accountable.
http://www.savecfcinhalers.org
The National Campaign to Save CFC Asthma Inhalers
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