Insurance craziness
Well, this has been an interesting month for insurance. About two weeks before I ran out of Rinvoq, I called the specialty pharmacy to see if I had to initiate the next month's supply or if the pharmacy would automatically send it. They looked on their computer and said there was a problem with my insurance and I needed to call them. I did, and they said they never received authorization from my doctor. (This was despite the fact that I had a letter which said the insurance HAD okayed Rinvoq.)
I had a routine doctor's appointment the next day, so while there, I told my doctor's assistant what they told me. She was not happy, as she said she had sent the authorization long ago. She faxed it again, and asked me to watch so I could witness the authorization being sent. She then asked me to call my insurance a few days later, which I did.
I spent hours going back and forth between Abbvie (the Rinvoq people), my insurance, and the pharmacy. I thought everything was worked out, including my being put on a program that reduced Rinvoq's very expensive price, which is what I thought was already in place.
However, days later, with only a week's worth of medication left, I received an email from the pharmacy saying I needed to contact them immediately. They said there was a problem with payment. So back to the phone I went.
Over the course of three days, I spent hours on the phone, both talking to people and on hold. (Thank goodness for laptops! I was able to get much done on my laptop while on hold.) Again, I bounced between Abbvie and my insurance, ending with a lot of time talking to the specialty pharmacy people. Honestly, I don't know how people do it. I consider myself an intelligent person, but dealing with this situation was mind-boggling, mind-numbing, and brain-dissolving.
I was finally told that an escalation team would contact me the next day. I informed them I was going out of town and would be out of contact. I left on my trip fully expecting another round of hours-long phone calls when I returned.
On returning home, my husband noticed a package on the porch. It was the Rinvoq. I was extremely relieved because I had run out of pills, but nervous because of the cost. I checked my email and there was a receipt for payment of the Rinvoq, and it was the lowered amount I thought I had been approved for before. I am grateful, but also befuddled.
So here we are.
I STILL don't know if my pharmacy will send the next month's supply out automatically or if I have to initiate it myself.
As this is October, I can say it. Be afraid. Be very afraid!
How I'm doing physically
When I started tapering down the budesonide, my stool went downhill. I hoped the Rinvoq would help, but after restarting it a month ago, I'm not seeing much improvement. My stomach still aches now and then, but not badly. I did have a small accident a few days ago, thankfully before I entered the garage as I was headed to the grocery store, so I was able to clean up first. If it had happened ten minutes later, I'd been in trouble.
There is good news. My husband and I unexpectedly received free tickets to a PGA tournament held within driving distance from our house. We spent two days there. We walked the entire course on the first day, and most of the course on the second. My body held up! I was able, mostly, to keep up with my in-very-good-shape spouse. There were lots of portable bathrooms all over the course, but in two days I only needed to use them once. I was extremely worried about the trip, both the driving part and the being on the golf course part, but it turned out quite well. And we did have fun.
However, because of going off Rinvoq for six weeks and not improving after getting back on, we'll see how I'm doing in two weeks. Just in time for one of my favorite holidays, Halloween. (Sigh.)
Next update: November 2023, On The Downhill Side (Not a Good Thing)
Previous update: September 2023, Can You Say Budesonide? (Not Really.)
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