I read your first response to imply that perhaps your insurance company is not paying the total cost of your drugs . . . that you are being subsidized in some other way. I thought that was the case, because I seemed to recall something about Biogen agreeing to subsidize some of the Tysabri a few months ago...?

But you are saying you are paying about $100,000 a year in insurance?

How can anyone possibly afford that?

Why so much, because you joined up after your dx?

Cherie

For me, the point is moot, since I'm on Retirement SS, now. But I paid for Private Family Health Ins Coverage untill I was 62 and then Single Cov, at around 1,000,00 per month, unill I went on Medicare, at 65.

For the last few years of that, I had no income, except SS (I retired at 62), but I had assets...booooooo....and didn't have enough work credits to apply for SSDI. What can I say...I was between a rock and a hard place.

I guess what I'm saying is that, there should be some kind of a reprieve for those, like me, who fall through the cracks between poverty and okie dokie..

We're damned if we do and damned if we don't, Vic.....KWIM?

Since I can pay for my own insurance I do not feel that it would be appropriate to get any forms of assistance ...yet!

Biogen has not come through with the "promise" ...yet.

I do not pay $100,000 per year for insurance, but rather about 1/3 of that for my medical care.

It is a tough position to be in,..., no doubt about it.

I wonder what everyone thinks about this issue in a national sense, rather than how it impacts me personally.

We all face it, or will face it at one time or another.

-Vic

Medicare is not income based and you've paid for it over the years(I think everyone pays Medicare taxes). Why not take it??

You have a good point to consider.

Vic,

If I were in this situation, I think I'd have to go on state insurance. I think IL has a BC/BS plan for those considered "uninsurable" because of certain progressive diseases, including MS.

Right now, our medical expenses are about 15k per year and we can handle that. We haven't had any hospitalizations in awhile... Knock on wood. We're still on my DH's union insurance PPO, but it's very expensive ($850ish) a month OOP plus all the other co-pays we have. I realize we're extremely fortunate to have this, but I wouldn't hesitate to look for assistance if necessary.

If work got to be too much, I'd apply for SSDI. I'm hoping I won't have to think about these options in the near future.

From a national viewpoint, your question is obviously a challenging one. Yes, everyone does deserve medical coverage. But are we really willing as to pay the higher taxes we would have to in order to accomplish this? Probably not!

Illinois has a program called kidcare for those that fall under a certain income level. That is a start. Yet many of their parents have no coverage as they are part of the "working poor." They fall between the cracks of being able to afford insurance and qualifying for medicaid. So they end up going to the ER's.

As an aside, I recently changed my insurance from an HMO to an open access plan where I do not need any referrals. My premiums are increasing from 45.00 a month to 100.00 per month and I have a maximum of 1100 of out of pocket expenses. This does not include prescriptions, but my max co-pay for meds is 40.00. I did not have to pay anything for my tysabri as it was considered a treatment and not a med. I am lucky to have such good coverage. If government employees can get such good medical plans, why can't the government figure out a way to even the playing field for everyone else? Taxes! No politician is willing to say that we need to raise taxes!

Sorry for the rant

Because from what I have read here Vic is considering not only what will be the best protection for his family but also the ethical issues regarding taking advantage of social services when you still have other options. I appluad him for being so thoughtful with regard to both concerns.

When I read stories about people who can't afford fricken diapers on their disability income it breaks my heart and I could not live with myself if I thought I was taking money from them unless I absolutely needed to. These funds are not unlimited.

Again I am in no way saying anyone that truly needs it should feel bad about applying, just that as long as I still have the option of taking care of myself and freeing up those funds for someone who truly can't get other insurance I will continue to provide for myself even though I have also paid into it for 30 years. I hope I can pay into it for another 30 without ever needing it for that matter.

My employer sponsored insurance REQUIRES employees to takes Medicare when they are eligible. If Vic is looking for a backup for a catastrophe, then I would think Medicare is it. I don't know a lot about Medicare, because I'm not of the age to have it yet, but everyone I know who is does have it even if they use it as a backup to their private plan, which most that I know choose that route. Because Medicare doesn't cover a lot of the things they get with the private plan. Sorry, but just a few people not signing up for Medicare is not going to fix our system.... or make that much of a difference. But for those that are wealthy enough to do so, then more power to them.