Getting punished for getting old

I am a 67-year-old diabetic. Two of my medicines will no longer be affordable to me when I reach the Donut Hole in two months. I take Toujeo, an injectable insulin and Victoza, an injectable non-insulin medicine. Victoza will cost me $304.88 per month and Toujeo will cost me $136.92 per month for a total of $441.80 per month. This is in addition to my other medications, too.

I only take home $1,300 in Social Security. I do not qualify for low-cost subsidy. Both pharmaceutical companies offer discount cards. Toujeo would cost me $10 per month and Victoza would cost me $250 per month.

Here is the kicker: Since I am on Medicare D, I cannot use these discount cards and there is no help for me. I call this age discrimination.

Why can everyone else that is working and also has health insurance benefit from these discounts and people like me who aren't working anymore and who can't afford it get kicked out of these benefits that we need? This needs to be changed. Are we subclass people just because we got old?

Medicare pays for insulin if you are on a pump but not for people like me. This is not a choice for me. It is a life or death matter. I cannot live without insulin. So is the government telling us it is time to die when we get to a certain age and get sick?

Annette Jackson

Streamwood