{"id":308,"date":"2022-10-26T09:34:21","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T09:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=308"},"modified":"2022-10-26T09:34:28","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T09:34:28","slug":"38398-for-a-single-shot-of-a-very-old-cancer-drug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=308","title":{"rendered":"$38,398 for a Single Shot of a Very Old Cancer Drug"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dr. Josie Tenore and Paul Hinds were introduced by a mutual friend in 2017 and hadn\u2019t been going out long when she laid down the law: He had to get a physical.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t date people who don\u2019t take care of their health,\u201d said Tenore, who practices cosmetic dermatology and functional medicine<\/a> in suburban Chicago.<\/p>\n

One of Hinds\u2019 blood tests that summer came back with an alarming result: His prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, level was very high. A biopsy confirmed he had advanced prostate cancer.<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t a lot of comfortable alternatives for treating prostate cancer, which generally progresses as long as testosterone levels remain high. Marijuana appears<\/a> to lower testosterone levels, so after his diagnosis, Paul dosed a liquid form of cannabis for several weeks. That cut his PSA in half, but Hinds, a cybersecurity expert who likes yoga and bicycling, \u201cwas stoned out of his mind and couldn\u2019t function,\u201d Tenore recalled.<\/p>\n

With Tenore guiding his decisions, Hinds next tried a procedure called high-frequency ultrasound treatment, but it failed. And in summer 2019 doctors removed his prostate gland. Still, the PSA levels climbed again, and doctors assessed that the cancer had metastasized. The only alternative was to drastically lower Hinds\u2019 testosterone levels \u2014 either via surgery or drugs that block all testosterone. In May 2021, Paul got his first intramuscular shot of Lupron Depot, a brand name for leuprolide, designed to suppress the prostate gland\u2019s release of the hormone for three months. That August, he got his second shot.<\/p>\n

And then the bills came.<\/p>\n

The Patient:<\/strong> Paul Hinds, now 60, is covered by United Healthcare through a COBRA plan from his former employer.<\/p>\n

Medical Service:<\/strong> Two three-month Lupron Depot injections for metastatic prostate cancer.<\/p>\n

Service Provider:<\/strong> University of Chicago Medicine, a 900-physician nonprofit system that includes an 811-bed medical center, a suburban hospital, the Pritzker School of Medicine, and outpatient clinics and physician offices throughout the Chicago area.<\/p>\n

Total Bill:<\/strong> $73,812 for the two shots ($35,414 for the first, $38,398 for the second), including lab work and physician charges. United Healthcare\u2019s negotiated rate for the two shots plus associated fees was $27,568, of which the insurer paid $19,567. After Hinds haggled with the hospital and insurer for more than a year, his share of the bills was determined to be nearly $7,000.<\/p>\n

What Gives:<\/strong> The first issue is unrelenting price increases on old drugs that have remained branded as manufacturers find ways to extend patents for decades and maintain sales through marketing.<\/p>\n

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