Our mission is to improve the quality of life for BIPOC who are affected by IBD, Digestive Disorders and associated Chronic Illnesses; through Community, Research, Education, and Advocacy.

A Real Picture Of Health:
Tionna Forchion

“As a patient, it made me feel like my life didn’t matter. Money mattered more.”

For Tionna, finding a medication to stabilize her Crohn’s disease was a long, hard journey.

 

She was placed on medication that stabilized her condition and provided relief for two years, but her insurance company stopped covering this medication simply due to its cost.

 

She was forced to switch to the medication that the insurance company would cover because the cost of the original medication proved unaffordable for Tionna.

 

Shortly after this, her symptoms returned and she experienced regular flare ups. She felt weak everyday and couldn’t even take a shower without assistance.

 

Tionna felt that her insurance company cared more about how much her disease was going to cost them and how they could maximize profits rather than the suffering she endured.

 

Tionna would like for Insurance companies to prioritize patient health and quality of life.

Non-Medical Switching

Nonmedical Switching occurs when a patient’s treatment regimen is changed for reasons other than effectiveness, side effects, or adherence.

This is often a mechanism used to reduce drug costs. Nonmedical switching occurs when a plan eliminates coverage for certain medications or when a drug is placed on a coverage tier that makes it unaffordable for the patient.

For patients who live with chronic conditions, it can take years to find a medication or combination of medications that work for them and nonmedical switching poses a serious threat to what the patient has worked to accomplish.

Patients lose the ability to manage their condition and can experience recurring symptoms, side effects from the new medication, increased health care costs, potential drug interactions with the new drug and patient’s existing medication, and patients may stop taking their medication altogether.

Aside from these physical side effects, nonmedical switching also presents other obstacles which can include additional doctor appointments, more lab work, increased visits with specialists, and possible hospitalization. It can also affect a patient’s work and civic responsibilities and can have a psychological and emotional impact.

Even though nonmedical switching is viewed as a cost savings mechanism, it often becomes a more expensive option for patients and insurers.

COGI Policy Priority:

Patients who are medically stable of a course of treatment should be allowed to continue unless there is a medical reason to change their treatment. We oppose the switching of stable patients from treatment courses for non-medically necessary reasons, as it is both unethical and violates the standard of care. All treatment decisions should remain between the patient and prescribing provider.

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