How much is Harvoni without insurance?

Is Harvoni covered by insurance? | How much does Harvoni cost without insurance? | How to get Harvoni without insurance

Harvoni is a brand-name prescription drug used to treat chronic hepatitis C, a viral infection of the liver. Harvoni combines two direct-acting antiviral drugs, ledipasvir and sofosbuvir. Both prevent the hepatitis C virus from multiplying. The standard Harvoni dosage is a single 90/400 mg tablet or pellet packet taken orally once per day for either 12 or 24 weeks depending on how badly the liver is damaged (cirrhosis). Some people may also need to take another antiviral agent, ribavirin, at the same time. 

Harvoni is a high-cost brand-name drug, and although its generic, ledipasvir sofosbuvir, costs less, it can still be cost-prohibitive for many who need it. It is possible to get Harvoni treatment without health insurance; keep reading to learn more.

Is Harvoni covered by insurance?

Harvoni is a high-priced medication, so even though it’s typically covered by private insurance, Medicare, and even Medicaid, some plans may not cover it. Harvoni is a life-saving drug, so some insurance companies classify it as low as Tier 2, the second-lowest copay tier, while others may place it in the highest tier. Medicare Part D recipients can expect to pay a few thousand dollars for treatment, mostly in the catastrophic phase of coverage. However, what any individual pays in out-of-pocket costs will be determined by their insurance plan’s formulary, copay cost, deductible, and coinsurance. These will vary.

How much does Harvoni cost without insurance?

Without insurance, a four-week supply of Harvoni will cost an average of $37,240 at retail price. Each bottle contains 28 tablets, so the uninsured pay an average of $1,300 per daily tablet. The average 12-week treatment—three bottles in all—will cost around $110,000 for Harvoni treatment. Twice that for people on 24 weeks of Harvoni treatment.

Most people without health insurance will find it hard to pay this much over such a short period, so health insurance does help to defray some of the cost. Gilead Sciences, the manufacturer of the drug,  has authorized a less-expensive generic version of Harvoni but it can still retail for around $24,000, well beyond many people’s budgets. Other drugs that include sofosbuvir include Epclusa (sofosbuvir-velpatasvir)—also in an authorized generic version, Vosevi (sofosbuvir-velpatasvir-voxilaprevir), and Sovaldi (sofosbuvir). All, including Harvoni, are manufactured by Gilead. 

Other direct-acting antiviral agents FDA-approved to treat hepatitis C include Mavyret (glecaprevir-pibrentasvir), Zepatier (elbasvir-grazoprevir), and Viekira Pak (ombitasvir-paritaprevir-ritonavir-dasabuvir). Both Mavyret and Zepatier are significantly less expensive than any of the other combination drugs, but they will still cost thousands of dollars at full price. Still, they are worth asking about if paying for Harvoni is out of the question.

Prescription drug prices often change. These are the most accurate medication prices at the time of publishing. The listed price without insurance references the price of brand-name drugs. The listed SingleCare price references the price of generic drugs if available. Click the link under “Savings options” to see updated drug prices.

How to get Harvoni without insurance

Harvoni is an effective, life-saving hepatitis C treatment. However, at a cost exceeding $100,000 for a 12-week course of treatment, many uninsured patients may need some kind of financial assistance. Fortunately, there are many places to get help. Uninsured patients could start by looking into patient assistance programs offered by Gilead Sciences or Asegua, the pharmaceutical company that makes generic ledipasvir-sofosbuvir. However, not every person will be able to meet the eligibility requirements. Manufacturer coupons and rebates may also help, when available. Here are five ways to reduce the cost of Harvoni treatment, starting with a SingleCare savings card:

1. Use a SingleCare drug discount card

As much as $13,000 can be saved on a Harvoni prescription just by using a SingleCare Harvoni coupon at a participating pharmacy. Dropping the four-week prescription price from $37,000 to $23,000 may be enough to make Harvoni treatment possible. 

2. Get health insurance

Realistically speaking, most health insurance policies are cheaper than the $100,000 cost of a full course of Harvoni treatment. Start with the healthcare exchange in your state. Make sure, however, that the policies being considered cover Harvoni at a reasonable cost.

3. Enroll in Medicaid

If you qualify, Medicaid may be a good way to reduce hepatitis C treatment costs. It will depend on the state. Some states will only approve expensive hepatitis C treatment drug costs if there’s extensive liver damage. So, research not only your state’s Medicaid eligibility requirements but the requirements for covering various hepatitis C therapies.

4. Enroll with ADAP to get free or low-cost hepatitis C medications

For people with both HCV and AIDS, the U.S. Department of Health AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) might pay for both HIV/AIDS and HCV prescriptions for people lacking insurance. Each state manages enrollment through its department of health. 

5. Ask the prescriber about alternative hepatitis C drugs

There are other effective antiviral therapies for hepatitis C. Some are single drugs, some are combination drugs, and many are considerably less expensive than Harvoni. If financial assistance for Harvoni is unavailable, then it’s better to get treatment than to leave the infection unchecked. However, not all drugs work effectively against the hepatitis C genotypes that Harvoni fights off. Side effects will also vary. So ask the prescribing healthcare provider for medical advice about the most effective treatments before switching.