My name is Oluyomi Amoye. I am a retired tax economist and father of three, 65 years old, and a resident of Laurel, Maryland.
In 2010, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and prescribed Jardiance. I am currently on Medicaid and my Medicare health insurance coverage plan is expected to kick in in February. Under Medicaid alone, I would be paying $282 a month just for Jardiance, and still don’t know what that total might be under Medicare. This might not seem like a lot to pay for a necessary medication, but that is a lot for me to pay as someone who is retired and living on a fixed income.
Thankfully, the only way I have been able to surpass the financial challenges of getting Jardiance for my diabetes, here in the United States, has been by leaving the country and sourcing it elsewhere. Because my wife is also a citizen of the United Kingdom (UK), I can fly to the UK and get my medications there for free rather than paying an arm and leg for it here in America, as a green card holder. This means that every couple of months I have to pay and fly to the UK to get my three months’ worth of Jardiance for free and fly back home to the U.S., which is surprisingly cheaper than if I just paid to buy it here at my regular pharmacy.
Being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes has also not been an easy sentence that is now written on my daily page of life going forward. I have already had to change my diet and lifestyle to accommodate this very humbling disease, as I have already had to nickel and dime myself to pay for my medications. This is simply unfair. This is the medication that I need to survive and be there for my family. I should not have to spend my retirement worrying about paying for the drugs I need to survive. This should be the time that I take to relax and enjoy.
My experience and story with Jardiance is the main reason I believe in lower prescription drug prices. People need this medication to survive. Many people need access to lower-cost and affordable prescription drugs to overcome challenging or horrible health conditions. We should not have to lose an arm and leg to pay for them.
