ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass and Lap Band® Forum - View Single Post

coptergirl · 09-27-2006, 10:33 AM

Hi guys -

I have an iron issue I hope you can help me iron out (sorry - couldn't help myself). I was prescribed Niferex for my iron when I was fresh out of surgery in March. It is cut with vitamins C and B to help with the absorption, ciz thats what us special folks need. I was covered no problem by Blue Cross at the time, and then my company have OE in May and we switched over to Health Net who now does not cover Niferex and claims it is a multivitamin. I have had my surgeon and my PCP call in prior authorizations for coverage and they were also denied. I am having my surgeon write a letter explaining why I need this, and I will have my PCP and myself do the same. I have been paying $150.00 per month out of pocket for the last 3 months because I would much rather take 2 iron pills a day to equal 300mg's rather than 11-12 pills a day of the OTC kind to equal the same amount.

So my question is this: if the insurance continues to deny my appeals is my only option to pay the $150.00 per month for the Niferex, or has anyone out there found a reasonably priced non-rx iron that has super high dosages (I need at least 300mgs per day and would rather not take a gazillion pills a day for one thing...sheesh I take so many others I would never get food in!) of iron in it?!

Thanks for your help, and sorry this post is so darned long!