Hep C Discussion Forum

I may be way off base here but typically if your appts. are just for labs, most insurance that i am aware of there is no co pay for those visits (at least I've never had to pay one) but then you don't  see a doctor either, which is ok if you have a patient portal to get your results online, or ask that they me mailed to you, so that is one way to reduce your co pay costs.

The biggest deal would be all the preliminary appts. to establish your condition and inform you of what to expect if and when you are being treated.

I look at it this way, once you are dx with the infection and the doc has set you up for tx,  unless you are having problems or side effects that require a face to face visit, you just need labs, and they will tell you if there is a reason to be seen regarding those results.

A lot of people here like to have appts to talk about things during tx or ask for VL tests etc...but they are not a requirement and I'm sure if you explained this to your doctor they would gladly work with you in a way that keeps your costs down by minimizing unnecessary appts.

I'm  100% sure that if i am wrong here others will chime in to give you advice and or guidance to help you achieve the best results at the lowest costs, like I stated earlier there is probably no scenario here that has not been experienced by one of the members so just keep asking questions and you will become well armed to enter this battle with confidence.

Best of luck to you and prayers that God will provide for you in this struggle.

Duane

I have been diagnosed, and they want to start that new treatment that became available in Oct.  That is  my reason for wanting the details, so I can estimate my costs.  See my other reply. 

BTW, is there a spell check here I cannot seem to find one.

Thanks for that informative info regarding paymant assistance. I am elated to know that there is financial help.  I would have done this long ago had I known it was available.  

My last question would be are you seeing the specialist on a regular basis, like once a month or week or how does that usually work?  I have two choices, one that would change my copays significantly, but I have to pay an additional monthly premium.  I would like to know if that is necessary. If I stay with my crappy plan that I am currently in, I can see this nice PC who refills all my other meds from the specialists that I have been using for a long time.  I would lose her if I changed to blue cross, thus requiring more visits to specialists and more co-pays.  She is the only reason that I would stay with the current plan.  However, I highly doubt she could perscribe these meds.  Changing to that plan would only make sense if I had to see the GI twice a month or more.

Hi Stephanie, welcome!

You`ve already had lots of good replies and I don`t want to overwhelm you with information but here are a couple of fact sheets you might find useful.

If you`ve been tested positive for HCV antibodies but you don`t yet know whether you have an active infection this fact sheet will give you more information about that.  `Testing Positve, now what?`...

http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets_pdf/Testpos.pdf

And if you`ve had a positive diagnosis for Hep C this guide can help you with the next steps you need to take. `First Steps for the Newly Diagnosed`...

http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/First%20Steps/First_Steps_with_Hepatitis_C_for_the_Newly_Diagnosed.pdf

If you have any more questions we haven`t covered then feel free to ask.

Best of luck!

(And by the way, treatment doesn`t usually involve having your legs cut off, don`t worry!!)

Hi Stephanie,

Welcome to the forum! As Duane mentioned, that was a new take on saying hello! I'm glad you found the forum and think we can answer some of your questions and hopefully calm some of your anxiety. 

Assuming you have seen your primary care doctor and tested positive for the Hep C Antibodies or taken a RNA PCR Quantitative Viral Load test and received the results that shows the viral quantity in your blood, the next step is to see a specialist. In this field, the doctor you will see is either a Gastroenterologist with knowledge of HCV or a Hepatologist (liver specialist). They will ask you about your history, will do an exam, probably will send you for additional blood tests, and an ultrasound of your abdomen. Now depending on your results and your history, they may (assuming you are indeed positive) send you for another test to determine your liver fibrosis. There are a few current methods of doing that and your doctor will help you make that decision.

Once all these tests are back and your doctor determines your liver health, the kind of HCV genotype you have, there are several, but in the USA, the most common is 1A. There are different genotypes around the world and each location seems to have a more prevalent genotype than another. But you will be infected with the genotype of the source you got it from. The type of treatment you receive, the length of treatment you receive, will depend on your genotype and condition of your liver. The type of treatment also depends on the treatments available (approved) in your country and your insurance company approval. Some countries also provide health care for their citizens, so the government may control your care as well. There are guidelines established by medical organizations around the globe. Hopefully the healthcare providers and insurance companies follow the established guidelines. They establish their own criteria for treatment qualification based hopefully on the guidelines. (Confused yet?)

Once your liver health and genotype have been determined, your doctor will decide if treatment is warranted at that time. Depending on the level of fibrosis and your individual health, s/he may recommend immediate treatment or tell you it can wait. That depends on your individual health. If they decide to treat, they first discuss it with you and submit it to your insurance (assuming you are in the USA). If they approve it, the prescription is sent to a specialty pharmacy. They will be the supplier your insurance company works with most often.

The actual prescription you take (drugs) depends on your genotype. There are some new protocols available now that are all oral, no shots. But that depends again on your genotype. So the first thing is to get all of that determined by your specialist. 

The example I have just given you is my experience and may vary depending on your own circumstances, but it's fairly accurate IMO. There may be a few differences and I may have forgotten a thing or two, but this is close! If you have any questions please ask. If I don't get back to you right away, one of our other knowledgeable members surely will. Good luck...

Tig

Hello Alias and welcome!

You are asking really good questions. My suggestion is to ask these same questions of your doctor. He, eventually, will give you specifics about your health and make suggestions on treatment. Once you have information on your health and the doctors recommendations on treatment then you can use this site to share your information, if you are comfortable in doing so, and educate yourself by reading through posts and asking questions at that time. The place to start though is with your doctor.

I hope this helps.