The Lialda Perscription Savings Program Card is a joke
My apologies for the rant. I'm just super frustrated at the moment.
So my wife has UC and we ran into a major financial hurdle recently. It has caused us to have to apply for health insurance through the marketplace. Unfortunately, the date of our application submission means that we won't be covered until Feb 1st. She is about to run out of her Lialda and (as many of you already know), the cost of a 1 month prescription can reach as much as $1000.
We applied for assistance through the Lialda website and were offered the savings card. Supposedly, it provides $500 in monthly assistance. Since my wife only needs a 2 week supply, we worked out a plan to where her doctor would give her a 2 week prescription. The cost for it would be $538. We would use the savings card would knock off $500 and we would cover the remaining $38 on our own. Then, our insurance would kick in on Feb 1st and everything would be right as rain. That's what we THOUGHT was going to happen.
Turns out, the fine print on the card states that the $500 assistance is only good for those WITH insurance plans. Those without insurance only get a whopping $50. Since "technically" my wife and I don't have insurance until Feb, we will still be on the hook for $450 on her 2 week 'script.
So basically, this program does not help those who REALLY need the help. What is the point in offering assistance to those who already have insurance? It makes no sense and leaves people like my wife and I (who really need the assistance) in the lurch. It's idiotic and even the manager I spoke with didn't have an answer for me. The people who don't need the help get it and the people who do need it are screwed. I supposed the only important thing to these people is the ability to say that they "are helping," even if it's a bullshit claim.
Again, sorry about the rant. I just needed to vent. And just to let you all know, I am aware of some of the generics available for Lialda, but sadly, my wife's doctor states that switching her off of Lialda right now is too risky and she won't allow it. I've also researched many other assistance programs and we qualify for none of them (or the assistance is negligible at best).
Edit: You guys rock. Came here to vent, left with some hope!
Posted Jan 17, 2016, 10:05 PM UTC · edited
Health insurance in this country is impossible to understand.
Have you asked your doctor if they might be able to spare enough samples just to get her through until early February?
That's one option I am working on right now. The only problem with that is most of her doctor's hold onto those samples like they were gold bars.