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The impact of Prednisone on A1C
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Apr 25, 2023 | Replies (15)Comment receiving replies
Did you need to submit any medical records or sign a consent to release your medical records to Genentech? I have never understood how this subsidy works.
I thought people on Medicare couldn't get the subsidy. However, Medicare will cover Actemra infusions given at a hospital so long as it is being used for GCA but not for PMR. With a Medicare supplement to cover the remaining 20% of the cost there shouldn't be that much of an out of pocket expense.
Is Actemra working for you? I like to hear how it works for other people. It validates my experience with it. Apparently some people don't get off prednisone completely but the majority of people can still significantly reduce the amount of prednisone they need. Given that so many people have difficulty when their prednisone dose gets less than 7 mg, I wonder how much of this is related to adrenal insufficiency.
https://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/0056/ea0056p44
Replies to "Did you need to submit any medical records or sign a consent to release your medical..."
Based on a quick scan of the Genentech site describing their financial assistance program, it does seem to indicate that they are targeting those with commercial health insurance, so presumably not Medicare.
The website for getting the subsidy is RACopay.com, and it seems pretty clear it is for commercially insured people.
Not sure how it works for those with Medicare, but it sounds like you your costs covered. I have to go on Medicare when I retire, but my employer keeps finding ways to make things really easy to keep working, at least enough to keep private insurance...
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I did not submit any medical records, and I do not remember signing a release (but that does mean I did not; I may have forgotten.) All I recall is that when I called to get on the Genetech subsidy program, they asked me what disease it was for, and I said Giant Cell Arteritis. This is legitimate for me because my doctor has stated that I have PMR and "presumed" GCA. The Genetech people did not question me further. I don't think they care, but are forced to ask. It is part of their administrative duty and concerns about FDA oversight.
I'm on private insurance and not Medicare yet; I just turned 64. The subsidy only covers whatever is not covered by your current insurance. In my case, that is like $420/month for weekly shots. Kaiser covers the rest.
Actemra seems to be working so far, but I am still at 35 mg/day of Prednisone, down from 60 mg/day a month ago. We'll see how things go as the Prednisone taper continues. I'm supposed to be down to 10 mg/day in June.
My adrenal glands shut down when I was on a lower dose (20 mg/day) of Prednisone before. I hope they will recover as I taper now. The taper schedule the doctor gave me below 10 mg is very slow, like 1 mg every 2 weeks.