😤 💊 🚨 PRIOR AUTHORIZE THIS 🚨 💊 😤

Anthem tried to take away my non-generic Dexilant.

I've been on this drug since it was approved by the FDA in 2009. In fact, I've been on PPIs as long as they've existed. I joke to "never look under the hood," but Chornobyl-level craniospinal radiation in 1996 has its consequences in the form of chronic GERD. (A gift that keeps on giving)

Dexilant (Brand) is on formulary. Despite clear documentation from my medical team and oncology care team that lower-tier and generic alternatives have failed repeatedly and caused serious health issues, I was now required to start over from scratch with step therapy and formulary appeals.

They denied it because they could. (Th ir reviewer might as well have been a denti t whose medical advic was akin to "go ba k to OTC and enjoy your miserable life.”)

Then, they waited for me to give up.

Of course, I didn't.

Then, they waited for me to give up.

Of course, I didn't.

I've lived inside this broken system for decades. I know the traps. I know who to call. And I'm knowingly privileged to have the Rolodex. When I pull the alarm, people show up—My care team. My wife's union. Attorneys. Advocacy orgs. Everyone mobilized. We even sent a letter to the New York State Pharmacists Association.

After a week of pressure, Anthem folded. (A Christmas miracle!)

That's what it took just to keep the same drug I was already on.

Now, picture someone without my access. Without my stamina. Without the firepower to fight back. Most people don't win. They get buried in forms, ignored by strangers, and denied care by design.

This was never about one purple pill; it was about control. In America, healthcare is survival of the connected, and it shouldn't be.

Anthem lost this round. The system still wins every day.

If this hits home, toss it a like, a *repost*, a comment, or tag someone you may be ambivalent about. One click makes a bigger difference than you think.