Letters to the Editor: These readers got COVID. Their cost for Paxlovid? At least $1,000

To the editor: The timing of your article on the reluctance of doctors to prescribe the antiviral drug Paxlovid to COVID-19 patients is perfect.

I tested positive for the disease on Jan. 31. I called my doctor and was advised against taking Paxlovid unless I felt worse. The reason? Rebound COVID.

But the order for Paxlovid was placed at my Vons pharmacy. Guess what? They don’t carry it and haven’t for months. The order was then sent to CVS. They had it.

My wife went to pick it up. Guess what? They wanted $1,100.

I have Medicare with a Blue Shield supplement, so you can imagine our shock at the price. Needless to say, I did not get the drug.

It’s fascinating to read this article saying that rebound COVID is a myth and Paxlovid is free or very cheap for most people. But in my experience, the drug is hardly free. Paxlovid may work, but I’ll be damned if I’m paying $1,100 for it.

Mike Moersen, Thousand Oaks

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To the editor: I tested positive for COVID last week. My physician prescribed Paxlovid. Masked, I went to CVS and was told that my insurance did not cover Paxlovid.

I asked how much Paxlovid costs and was told $1,000. My insurances is Blue Cross of California and Medicare Parts A and B.

Margarete O’Brien, Manhattan Beach

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To the editor: My husband and I are traveling this year and our doctor prescribed Paxlovid to take with us in the event we came down with COVID while away. We did this last year as well and never ended up having to use the drug.

Last year, our copay was $5 each. This year, Medicare will not cover the drug, so it would cost us $1,000 each.

I find it inexcusable that Medicare and Aetna, our private insurer, will not cover my 80-year-old husband and me, a 77-year-old, for Paxlovid. Getting hospitalized with COVID would far surpass the cost of being treated with Paxlovid. It makes no sense.

Janine Lichstein, Santa Monica