Access Granted: Covering the Cost For Your Meds

Style Magazine Newswire | 1/18/2022, 9:36 a.m.
Are you able to cover the cost of your meds? It could easily put a dent in your pockets if …

Black Doctor

Are you able to cover the cost of your meds? It could easily put a dent in your pockets if you are battling major health challenges.

Let’s face it: Coming to terms with the fact that you have a lifelong disease can be mentally draining. Trying to figure out how you will be able to afford your medications is an extra layer of stress that can be detrimental to your illness.

Access to affordable medications is a constant struggle for people with sickle cell disease – a disorder of hemoglobin that largely affects African Americans.

The CDC estimates that about 1 in 13 African American births will have sickle cell trait, and about 1 in 365 will have the disease.

The annual cost associated with sickle cell disease can be on average $10,000 for children. The financial burden dramatically increases as beneficiaries get older and their disease progresses. Adults can expect to pay three times more in costs than children which may cause many to reconsider the kind of treatment they receive.

With the costs of healthcare and medications continuing to escalate, it’s important to know your options to avoid suffering in silence. Collaboration and communication with others are key to understanding the resources around you.

Here are a few actions you can take to increase your access to the medications needed to manage your pain crisis:

Have a Conversation About the Cost of Meds with Your Doctor

When is the last time you had a conversation with your doctor? Remember, your doctor is a trained resource – use them!

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