

30 June 2015

Are Epinephrine Injectors Affordable?

As a mother of a child with life threatening food allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, I am always searching for new safe foods made in dedicated facilities. That's the gold standard to me, so when I find a new safe food, I feel victorious! Unfortunately, they are always more expensive than the "regular" versions, but I am still so glad to find the products at all.

What about those life-saving epinephrine injectors? They are not free either. Currently, both Mylan and Sanofi offer coupons to make the cost of purchasing epinephrine injectors more manageable. For some, the coupon brings their out-of-pocket cost for Epipens or Auvi-Q down to $0! Their health insurance pays the rest, and that is an ideal situation for the consumer. For others, the coupon lowers the out-of-pocket to a few hundred, and if there is a deductible for prescriptions, when and if the consumer hits their deductible, then the insurance will cover the cost of the epis and the consumer pays his or her co-pays. There are a number of variations on this theme of high deductible health insurance. None of them are terribly affordable, since most people need more than one set of epinephrine injectors. Children, in particular, tend to need several sets--at least 1 for school, 1 for home, 1 for additional caregivers, etc. It can become extremely costly.

Gas prices in my area are about $2.73/gallon, a dozen of eggs are nearly $5.00. It seems the prices of everything are just going up, and I don't see incomes or salaries increasing at the same pace. The time has come for the food allergy community--as a unique group of consumers--to get organized and voice our shared concern about the cost of epinephrine injectors. Put simply, the prices are out of control.

What are your thoughts? What has been your experience with purchasing epinephrine injectors? Does your insurance cover the purchase? Are you able to use the coupons from Mylan or Sanofi? Are you one of the many stuck with high deductibles? Please share in a comment below. Thank you!

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