The Real Cost of Prescription Medications

I always hear about Target or Wal-Mart advertising generic prescription medications for $3.99 for a one-month supply.  Out of curiosity I decided to look at the list of eligible medications, wondering how much money someone like me could save by switching to generics.  Out of all the medications I have had prescriptions for since being discharged from the hospital (about 15 drugs total), only one appeared on the $3.99/month generics list.  I didn't have much hope for my meds being on the list, but I guess I figured more than one would be.

Here's an example of what I am charged for some of my medications:

• Caspofungin - an IV antifungal, $810.50 for a single dose.  I've taken one dose daily since August 4th.
• Amphotericin B - an IV antifungal, $3552.00 for a single dose.  I took one dose each day from August 4th thru early September.
• Aranesp - a growth factor used to stimulate hemoglobin production, $382.32 per dose.  I've taken one dose every two weeks since October 1st.
• Dronabinol (Generic Marinol) - an appetite inducer, $17.34 per day since August 4th.
• VFEND - an oral antifungal.  $146.91 per day, I was on it for about four weeks.

Of course not all my medications are this expensive.  I am fortunate to be on medical assistance, which has no copays.  I don't know what I would have done if I had worked for a year before being diagnosed and not qualified for medical assistance, or had to pay copays.  A 5% copay on all my medical services so far would have cost me about $75,000.  And this is before my transplant....

I wonder what my medication bills will look like once I start immunosuppressive therapy.