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Comment by jelliclesfarm | Hacker News Reader

I can’t help but notice the $311,000 price. What if you are not covered by insurance?

If embryos are screened for CF in IVF..what happens in a natural pregnancy? Would it still be legal to terminate the pregnancy?

What about other countries? I understand life changing medications are expensive. But shouldn’t the govt just pick up the tab? Imagine we have universal health care...wouldn’t they just do it?

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I believe they have a free medicine program for people without insurance and copay subsidies for people with it. It appears to be handled on a case by case basis (https://www.vertexgps.com/)

Many pharmaceutical companies (incl. Vertex) have patient assistance programs that are need-based. I don't really know anything about how much is covered under those programs those, maybe someone else with experience can chime in

Vertex has been playing hardball. They came to an agreement with Scotland last September and England in October, but other agreements are coming slowly. It is a real hardship for patients following Trikafta on Twitter and reading every day about gaining 30 points of lung function after only a few weeks, but not having the treatment available.

CF patients may have close to a normal lifespan with Trikafta, assuming that progress is made on treating some common infections, such as a pseudomonas aeruginosa. That means a lot of patients getting a very expensive drug for a very long time.

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