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Does Medi Cal cover Suboxone?
I have been taking Suboxone since August 08. Before that I was addicted to opiates for 10 years. I am also bipolar and am in the process of applying for disability as well as Medi Cal. I made an appointment with a psychiatrist in California who can prescribe Suboxone. When i called they asked if I had Medi Cal. Apparently the doctor is a contractor for Medi Cal. Does Medi Cal cover the cost of the prescription for Suboxone or the doctors fee for Suboxone? Are there any special programs that do help with the costs of this treatment?
I'm in so calif. (IE). I just got my medi-cal (IEHP) card in mail a month ago. I've been on Suboxone about 6 months now. My pharmacy submitted the TAR for verification a week and half ago and still waiting. They originally told me few days. Anyone else experience this before? I'm out of my meds now and stuck just waiting. Before the weekend I went to the pharmacy and was just going to pay cash like I usually do in the past and they told me it would be $300 for 15 strips! And that's after the discount card. It use to be around $100 for half my script in the past. Did the price of films really triple in past month?! Find that hard to believe. Please help
2 Comments
hey you know a dr in IE that perscribs subs i can see with medi-cal?
Yes. Dr. Gurvitz but you have to pay initial office fees...it only covers script rottonjohnny
There is also a program through the manufacturer that will give you a year for free. That can be extended up to 2 yrs. ask your pharmacy about these options if your doctor isn't aware of them.
You can also download a monthly coupon off suboxone.com that covers approx. $50/mos if you are on the strips.
Talk to your doctor about TAR. Your script has to be called in by the pharmacy and get it TAR'ed. It takes up to 3 days each new
Script.
Script.
Medi-cal DOES pay for the suboxone and subutex(and generic of subutex) you only have to apply for a tar with your pharmacy. It takes about 3 days to get it. If your pharmacist is cool like mine then they will give you some meds to take home while they get the script paid for. Your doctor will have to supply info for medi-cal on why you need the meds. ITS SUPER EASY THOUGH. just talk to your pharmicist. If you go to a dr that takes medi-cal then your appt fee should be free too.
Are you serious? Because I am on medi-cal through SSI and they said they do not cover suboxone and I paid outrages prices for one year and went right back to dome. I hate it!
What if pharmacy gets a TAR# so you don't have to pay so much up front? each strip/dose is $10.00, that's a lot of money to put up front. Just wondering if a TAR would work:)
How did you finally figure out a way for medi-cal to pay because I have been calling around and all I got as an answer was no. Thank you.
Medi-Cal will cover the cost of Suboxone / Subutex but you have to have it through the state, not just the county. You also have to buy all of the script at once to ensure they will not deny. You will have to pay full price for it at first and then get refunded when Medi-Cal pays (2 weeks later approx.) and there is no generic for this medicine in the 8mg form, so if the pharmacy says medi cal won't pay for it because they are out of the generic, they are wrong. They used to have a generic but there was something wrong with the copywright so they pulled it off the line and it won't come out again until June. I just went through all of this last week so I know all about it. Just make sure the Doctor who is prescribing the meds and the pharmacy stays on top of everything because the slightest mistake on either of their parts can mean you not getting refunded!
Thank you for responding. I have been looking through Medi Cal's website for hours on end. I think I am just more confused than when I started. I found services like methadone clinics supported by Medi Cal. I also found that suboxone is being covered for a state detox. I found something about a drug called naltrexone that Medi Cal covers but not sure how long. I know the point is for us to be free from addiction. I am scared i guess cause i don't want to fail. This drug really lifted me out of serious depression. Anyway i really appreciate your helping me. I really do understand what you are saying.
If the doctors office accepts medi-cal than your visits should be covered but Im not sure if medi-cal does cover sub or not. Right off hand I want to say that Ive heard of people getting medi-cal to cover sub, but honestly I really dont know. Hopefully someone will be by soon who actually knows the answer to your question. I dont have much experience with medi-cal, although I was on it years ago, but cant you contact them by phone or internet and see what meds they do cover. Im just assuming that they have some sort of list of medications that they cover, maybe it differs from person to person. Sorry I couldnt be of more help, I'll try and look into it and if I find any answers I'll be sure to let you know. Its good that your doctor accepts medi-cal, some dont, some actually only accept cash, those are the ones you probably want to stay away from. Just so you know I was on sub for 5months, quit Oct.20 2008, I didnt have a terrible time coming off, it wasnt fun by any means but it wasnt a horrible experience. Im not sure where your at with your sub treatment (mg wise) but you may want to think about tapering down just in case. If nothing else so you'll need less and it would be less expensive or you can taper down and stop. As you can imagine life not dependent upon that tab in morning is far less stressful and really allows us the freedom away from addiction. Anyways if I can find anything out I'll be sure to hit you up, in the meantime take care and good luck with your applications.
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