Migraine Insurance Issues

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By Medstar

M50o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr Migraine Insurance Issues

Published: Tue, March 11, 2008 - 10:25 am
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - 2:00 pm

Sandy Moonier is an ace sandwich maker, a mom and a nurse. But she's often sidelined by migraines.
"It's almost like it exhausts you. I find that after I have my migraines, it's almost like it just tires you out."
Sandy is supposed to take triptan medication when she feels a migraine coming on. But insurance limits her to 12 pills a month, and that poses a problem.
"You kind of sit there and think, 'okay, should I take one?' Or 'how many do I have left?' Snd that's really what regulates whether or not, makes a decision, the deciding factor, whether or not you're gonna take one or not."
Headache doctors at Saint Louis University School of Medicine often heard these complaints.
"They noticed that a lot of their patients came in talking about the frustrations they have in trying to make this decision."
So Dr. Nicholson headed a study to find out how outside factors, like insurance, affect the use of preventive medications.
"If people had either perceived insurance limitations, cost limitations, or both, only half of those people actually took their triptans as prescribed."
"It's basically, you're rationing your medication because you just never know, when is 'the big one'?"
Hospitals were the safety net when patients ran out of medication before the next allowed refill.
"About a-third of those people, so 1 of every 3 people, were going to the er in the past 12 months just for their headaches."
Sandy tries to treat her migraines early, even at the risk of running out of medication. It's a pro-active approach that helps her enjoy her family without limitations.

According to the study, more than 40 percent of patients said their quality of life was adversely affected when insurance limited the number of triptan pills they could use in a month. Dr. Nicholson says his medical colleagues still recommend that patients use their triptans at the earliest signs of a migraine, because those who do ultimately feel more in control of their condition.

FAST FACTS:
29.5 million Americans experience migraines.
Migraine costs this country about $14 billion annually in treatment and lost work time.
Prescription medications, called triptans, are very effective in treating migraine, but must be taken at the first sign of a migraine.
42 percent of migraine patients say their health insurer limits the number of triptans covered per month.
Roughly 37 percent of patients don’t fill their triptan prescriptions because they are unable to pay for the medication.

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