Forced to switch to biosimliar of Prolia by local provider clinic
Anyone else experiencing this issue?
My local clinic (Minneapolis) sent me a message that they are switching all Prolia injections to Jubbonti (also known as denosumab-bbdz).
Their "formulary" will no longer stock Prolia because they have decided it will save money in their health system and patients to use the bio similar since the biosimiliar is less expensive.
I have traditional Medicare and Medicare continues to cover Prolia for me so this change is only financially interesting to them not to me.
I pointed out to them that the reason I stayed on Prolia (now 9 years) is because it has the added benefit of antibone tumor properties and I have lung cancer. 2 years ago I saw a Mayo Endocrinologist regarding changing my osteoporosis medication and he told me that and recommended I stay on Prolia. Mayo has women with breast cancer on Prolia for 12 years for that reason.
My local Clinc said I could get a Prolia injection but NOT at any of their locations!!!
So because of the clinic's financial interests, I must find myself another doctor before my next injection is due. I of course called their patient complaint line. I find it very unethical. The drug I take should be chosen by the medical SPECIALIST because it is the best for me and not by profit driven decisions within a health organization!
They are effectively saying that they do not offer a complete choice of treatment options for patients, but only those with better financial return.
I recently switched my drugs to their pharmacy because my copay was so much lower on most. Now I don't trust them and will go back to CVS.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Osteoporosis & Bone Health Support Group.
I don't take Prolia and looked it up to see if you can just give it to yourself and not go to a clinic: "Prolia (denosumab) is administered as a subcutaneous injection (under the skin). It is typically administered by a healthcare professional, such as a doctor or nurse, once every 6 months. In some cases, and after receiving proper training, a doctor may determine that it is safe for a patient to self-inject Prolia at home"
Maybe this is the solution for you??
Thanks for looking into it. Prolia is covered by Medicare Part B and not by Part D. It is a drug that must be administered in the doctor's office, apart from the training of where to inject it, the doctor can submit Part B claims. At the drug store it would go under Part D, if it is on your formulary and at a very different out of pocket cost!!!!
People on Medicare must be aware that certain drugs like vaccines, etc. should be done at the pharmacy and not in the doctor's office because they fall under Part D and Drs don't submit that type of claim, so one gets hit with extra cost. However if needed in the Urgent Care then it could be covered. Example is the tetanus vaccine, covered at Urgent Care if one has a wound, otherwise one must go to pharmacy.
My beef with local clinic is that they are switching people because they make more money, not because better for the patient.
As a caveat, if you have a Medicare advantage plan, you can get your vaccines in the doctors office
Are you on Medicare yet? Actually, a Medicare Advantage plan (Medicare Part C) restricts people on choice of doctor, treatment, and medications. One has less choice than with Traditional Medicare (Part A/hospital, B/visits&tests ad D/drugs). I am grateful I chose Traditional Medicare and I could therefore self-refer myself to Mayo Clinic when my lung issues started. I went from an abnormal chest x-ray to lung cancer surgery in only 7 weeks! And no bills. That would never have happened with an Advantage Plan!!! The Mayo Oncology dept has a sign/brochure about what to do if your insurance refuses to cover your cancer treatment.
Returning to the Prolia issue, the local clinic decided to NOT provide for their financial reasons. I HAVE COVERAGE but I need to go to a different organization. It is a Part B drug and should be administered in Dr's office for coverage under Part B. Otherwise it will be much more expensive if I would purchase it under a Part D plan.
I am not judging on the appropriate plan to be on for a particular person or groups of people, I am just informing those who have Medicare part C, an advantage plan, do not have part D, and the rules are different. With a part C advantage plan, one can get their routine vaccinations at a pharmacy or at their doctors offices. I prefer to have it done at my doctors office, it’s just one less thing to worry about, as it’s in my records, I don’t have to inform them. I agree there are many good reasons to stick with traditional Medicare, especially if you have a medigap supplemental policy. I am under 65, so the medigap annual premium is outrageous high. When I turn 65, I will switch to traditional Medicare with a medigap policy
You do well to go with Original Medicare when you turn 65.
Advantage Plan requires you to go to their network of doctors, to get approval to see a specialist etc. with copays for everything. Cheap only if you never need a good specialist.
Another important fact is that at 65 all insurance companies have to take you regardless of pre-existing conditions. Later after first enrollment period they do not have to accept you and can charge you more. So if someone first signs up with an Advantage Plan and later wants to go back to Traditional Medicare they are at risk of not finding a Medigap plan or will be charged higher premium if they do accept you.
And with Original Medicare you don't need to check each year to see if your doctor is still in the Advantage network! You can go to any doctor that takes Medicare.
And if my independent clinic is not providing a drug for financial gain, one can be sure that the Advantage Plan will not do it either!!! They are famous for denying coverage and making people get preapproval for tests!
I’ve actually had pretty good success with the advantage plans. I’ve been on medicare since 2012. I always do alot of research and ALWAYS pick a PPO instead of an HMO
I forgot to mention i have many specialist and get many non routine tests every year.
If you are not 65 then are you on Medicare for special condition or are you on Medicaid? Will insurance companies be required to accept you during the initial enrollment period if you are already on Medicare now as you would not be the typical person enrolling at age 65. Advantage plans have a network of doctors, to go outside that network is to pay out of pocket. And not all clinics take Advantage Plans...for example Florida and Arizona Mayo don't. In Minnesota some insurance companies have made a deal with Mayo to have Mayo in their network. But every year networks change.
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/010816/pitfalls-medicare-advantage-plans.asp#:~:text=Medicare%20Advantage%20offers%20extra%20benefits,and%20limitations%20on%20extra%20benefits.
When I retired and researched the Medicare options, I decided to go with original Medicare “just in case I got a bad disease and wanted to go doctors or hospitals anywhere.” A year and a half later I got my bad disease, and though I pay more for my coverage than I would with an Advantage plan, I have never paid more than my annual Medicare deductible each year or had to worry about finding in network physicians. Surgeries, specialists, therapies- everything has been covered 100% with no copay. Needless to say, I feel like I made the right choice. It is one less worry while dealing with cancer and the many issues afterwards.