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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Alternative Medication For Tacrolimus

Four and one-half years ago I had a liver transplant that was covered by Medicare. At the time of surgery (7/11/11) I also had Aetna Insurance. Since surgery I have taken 6 mg of tacrolimus daily at a cost of $10 per month. In June of 2015 my husband s retirement insurance account was cancelled and we were forced to choose another carrier. I now have a Humana policy. When I first began the policy in June 2015, I called Medicare and was told that the immunosuppressive drug would be covered under Durable Medical Equipment. Since June I have been receiving the drug at no cost since it was covered by medicare since I was enrolled in Medicare A at the time of the transpant. Out of the blue I just received a letter from Medicare indicating that I would no longer be covered for this drug. Everything that I read on the internet indicates that Medicare pays for this drug. When I called Medicare, I talked to two people who were very hard to understand and talked in circles never directly addressing my problem. Should this drug my covered by medicare. I cannot afford the cost of $692 per month. After paying for my surgery to have the transplant, are they now going to allow me to die because they will not follow through with the medication I need to prevent rejection?
Mon, 23 Mar 2020
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General Surgeon 's  Response
Hello,

The Sirolimus is the alternative to Tacrolimus, however, any of the drug changes or alterations need a physician signal for 100%.

Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Bhagyesh V. Patel, General Surgeon
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Suggest Alternative Medication For Tacrolimus

Hello, The Sirolimus is the alternative to Tacrolimus, however, any of the drug changes or alterations need a physician signal for 100%. Hope I have answered your question. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Bhagyesh V. Patel, General Surgeon