@becsbuddy @cherip @kamama94 - It bears mentioning too that the pharmaceutical / insurance mega-corporations are soooo deep into our pockets, and - through their lobbyists - soooo deep into legislators' pockets that the hope of any common sense, sane reconstruction of our healthcare system to serve our citizenry is almost a fantasy. And this has been true for decades.
And, very recently, my fiance is a Type 2 diabetic, on limited income from Social Security, and due to patient vanity and doctors concerned with maintaining their celebrity clientele, the Ozempic he needs to survive is even less available than ever - and after his free samples his doctor used to be able to pass along have run out, the cost - WITH Medicare - is $950+ per month!?! How on earth does anyone pay for this? You would think this was a miracle cure drug for aging or something, the way it is priced! Don't mean to use so many exclamation points or caps, but it is ennervating, and this must just be the tip of the iceberg...I cannot even begin to imagine how anyone with more serious conditions can pay for any ongoing medical/pharmaceutical care.
We will be filling out a form under the Novo Vordisk "Patient Assistance Program (PAP" to see if he can qualify for some reduction/coverage for the Ozempic, but I'm 50:50 on whether this will legitimately be available to him.
I don't know that there are any answers in our lifetime, but it is a great service that Mayo Connect and its mentors and participants provide in having this forum where at least we can see that we're not alone in this struggle.