How a $500 UCLA hospital copay turned into a $3,900 bill — for 1 injection

Source: Los Angeles Times

Carlsbad resident Michael Krival thinks he got a taste of that medicine recently after his 9-year-old daughter was diagnosed by a UCLA specialist with a hormone disorder. She was prescribed a series of injections of a specialty drug called Lupron Depot. As far back as 1993, researchers deemed the drug "safe and efficacious."

Krival said he and his wife booked an appointment for their daughter at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Before the scheduled visit, they received a written estimate from the hospital that their copay would be $500 for the first shot.

... The bill arrived this month. Krival's copay wasn't $500. It was $3,908.71. The price of a 30-milligram injection of the drug, according to the bill, was $19,827.90. Because at least four shots would be needed, they were looking at pharmacy charges approaching $80,000 and nearly $16,000 in copays.

A 30-mg dose of Lupron Depot is available from Canadian pharmacies for under $2,000, according to the website PharmacyChecker.com.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus-20151002-column.html