Your VL down to VL in one week and then non detected in 4! Wow is all I can say. Really inspirational for those of us following you.
tkflex36 said
Feb 17, 2016
Welcome aboard! It's funny how you said since you have no sides you thought your pills were fake. I thought the exact same thing a few weeks ago, until I started getting test results back and my vl had dropped like a rock :) Anyway great job on being persistent with the insurance company and getting your treatment started!
Best wishes,
TK
hepcmannyc said
Feb 17, 2016
Yes - they are covering $7,500 per fill.
JimmyK said
Feb 17, 2016
Welcome to The Family.
Real quickly did you apply for and use the V-Pak Coupon? https://www.viekira.com/about-viekira/copay-card
JimmyK
hepcmannyc said
Feb 17, 2016
As a 44 year old male, I have always been blessed with good health. After about a year of overdrinking, I was getting "liver pains" last summer so I decided to stop drinking and to seek counseling. Part of the regime included a CBC and tests for a series of diseases including HEP C. As usual all my numbers looked good except my liver function tests came up slightly elevated and I tested positive for Hep C antibodies. I actually wasn't surprised because my mother had been diagnosed with it back in the late 90's and it was attributed to blood transfusions she had. At the time I asked the doctor if I should get tested and he didnt see why.
I got myself to a well-known medical provider in NYC. The gastro doctor ran blood tests which showed I was a 1b with a viral load of 1,237,287. An ultrasound didnt reveal any abnormalities. It was reassuring how calm he was - basically saying that I was healthy and that I was lucky to be diagnosed when medical treatment is available. He said the biggest issue I will face is getting insurance approval. How right he was! He first put me in for Harvoni - which was rejected because they had a deal for Viekira. He then put in another script for Viekira - over the course of three months it seemed like delay delay delay - then I had to get a whole bunch of blood tests redone because of the timeframe. I was ready to get generic Harvoni from India.
Finally was approved - but even then I didnt know what my co-pay would be - everyone told me a different answer - like either free, $5 or $11,000! I spend countless hours on the phone trying to figure it out and get someone who knew what they were talking about. I didn't qualify for most programs because income limit is $56,000 which is not possible to live on in NYC. Even after I received by first batch I still didn't know what it would be. But with the assistance of Proceed (they were extremely nice and caring), my co-pays are like $3,600 each for a total of $10,800. Still high but I will figure out how to pay rather than wait and I am grateful just to start treatment.
Started Treatment on February 3 - and to date, have had no side effects and almost think I am taking fake pills.....looking forward to being Hep C free.
Final thoughts: I am glad I was able to live a full life without knowing I was walking around with Hep C - I think I would have driven myself crazy. I am also grateful to all the research and money that went into these new drugs. However, what the drug and insurance companies do to suffering people in the United States is disgraceful.
GT 1b VL 1,237,287 Diagnosed November 2015 alt 66 ast 35 F2 fibrosure 2/3/16 Started 12 weeks Viekira
Not to mention he has a really cool shirt!
LOL
Thanks TK!
Your numbers are really incredible!
Your VL down to VL in one week and then non detected in 4! Wow is all I can say. Really inspirational for those of us following you.
Welcome aboard! It's funny how you said since you have no sides you thought your pills were fake. I thought the exact same thing a few weeks ago, until I started getting test results back and my vl had dropped like a rock :) Anyway great job on being persistent with the insurance company and getting your treatment started!
Best wishes,
TK
Yes - they are covering $7,500 per fill.
Welcome to The Family.
Real quickly did you apply for and use the V-Pak Coupon? https://www.viekira.com/about-viekira/copay-card
JimmyK
As a 44 year old male, I have always been blessed with good health. After about a year of overdrinking, I was getting "liver pains" last summer so I decided to stop drinking and to seek counseling. Part of the regime included a CBC and tests for a series of diseases including HEP C. As usual all my numbers looked good except my liver function tests came up slightly elevated and I tested positive for Hep C antibodies. I actually wasn't surprised because my mother had been diagnosed with it back in the late 90's and it was attributed to blood transfusions she had. At the time I asked the doctor if I should get tested and he didnt see why.
I got myself to a well-known medical provider in NYC. The gastro doctor ran blood tests which showed I was a 1b with a viral load of 1,237,287. An ultrasound didnt reveal any abnormalities. It was reassuring how calm he was - basically saying that I was healthy and that I was lucky to be diagnosed when medical treatment is available. He said the biggest issue I will face is getting insurance approval. How right he was! He first put me in for Harvoni - which was rejected because they had a deal for Viekira. He then put in another script for Viekira - over the course of three months it seemed like delay delay delay - then I had to get a whole bunch of blood tests redone because of the timeframe. I was ready to get generic Harvoni from India.
Finally was approved - but even then I didnt know what my co-pay would be - everyone told me a different answer - like either free, $5 or $11,000! I spend countless hours on the phone trying to figure it out and get someone who knew what they were talking about. I didn't qualify for most programs because income limit is $56,000 which is not possible to live on in NYC. Even after I received by first batch I still didn't know what it would be. But with the assistance of Proceed (they were extremely nice and caring), my co-pays are like $3,600 each for a total of $10,800. Still high but I will figure out how to pay rather than wait and I am grateful just to start treatment.
Started Treatment on February 3 - and to date, have had no side effects and almost think I am taking fake pills.....looking forward to being Hep C free.
Final thoughts: I am glad I was able to live a full life without knowing I was walking around with Hep C - I think I would have driven myself crazy. I am also grateful to all the research and money that went into these new drugs. However, what the drug and insurance companies do to suffering people in the United States is disgraceful.
GT 1b
VL 1,237,287
Diagnosed November 2015
alt 66 ast 35
F2 fibrosure
2/3/16 Started 12 weeks Viekira