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In my opinion, Medicare Part D is terrible

I no longer have private insurance to help with the cost of my prescription drug, Aimovig, and can't afford the $700+ monthly payment that Medicare is charging. Looking for alternative drugs. My doctor suggested Nurtec, but is is even more, $800+. Any ideas on another med at a cost an Medicare insured patient may be able to afford?

  1. I'm with you on that opinion. I wrote a piece recently on this topic that you may find useful: https://migraine.com/living-migraine/medicare-doctors-prescriptions

    And this also, will show you that you are not alone in this (unfortunately): https://migraine.com/forums/newer-meds-like-nurtec-on-medicare

    Please take a look at these resources and let us know what additional questions you have and how we can best support you. We are here for you and are so glad you're here. Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team.

    1. Hello, do you have medicare advantage with a part D? if you can afford it, it helps somewhat. Also have you tried Canadian pharmacies? The one I used was very professional. They called my MD to verify the RX and also had a Canadian pharmacist review it.

      1. Thank you for the information.

      2. You're most welcome. I hope it proves helpful. -Warmly, Donna (team member)

    2. I just saw an advertisement today for Amazon Prime Prescription Drug plan. You can go to Amazon's website and on their prescription drug page, enter a drug name and see how much it would cost you. I entered some of the medications I'm on and was surprised to see the low prices. With the brand name of the same generics, prices were significantly higher, but it's worth checking. Best of luck to you.

      1. These medications can be super tough when you on Medicare because the typical copay cards don't work. It sounds like from the cost, that your insurance doesn't cover it at all? You can appeal the denial (make sure your doctor filled out the Prior Authorization correctly). You can find out which medication they prefer (they usually have one they get a better deal on and so they will offer it at lower costs). Also, every medication has something different than the copay card - it's referred to as Patient Assistance. They are kinda buried and you find it on the manufacturer's page. So in the case of Aimovig you'd want the Amgen Safety Net Foundation. If you qualify, then your medication is free. Well worth looking into. Nurtec's program is different, IF your insurance approves the medication (but maybe at the highest tier so that there's very little discount) their program won't work for you. So since you are AImovig, I'd check out their program first and go from there. Anna (Migraine.com Team Member)

        1. Thank you so much for this information. I'll be checking it out thoroughly. Need all the help I can get since I no longer have private insurance and only Medicare.

        2. Feel free to come back with questions. I'm on Medicare too and have been for a while. It can vary so much, but learning to navigate your plan can be really helpful once you get it figured out. Good luck!

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