Help!
I’m an international student in Australia, and my lupus has gotten a lot worse since I’ve been here. Because of the pre-existing condition rules on my insurance, I don’t get much covered, so I’m paying out of pocket for appointments, bloodwork, and meds. I can just about manage it, but it’s getting tight.
My rheumatologist says I really need stronger treatment because I’m still flaring about 3–4 times a year, and it’s been getting more severe. Right now I get through flares with high-dose prednisone tapers, but I’ve also got joint pain even when I’m not flaring. He’s told me doing prednisone that often can actually cause long-term damage, which I didn’t realise.
He’s suggesting biologic meds to help control things and reduce my need for prednisone, but without Medicare I’d be looking at something like $500–$2000 AUD a month, which I just can’t afford on top of rent and tuition.
I’m only one semester in, so I haven’t lost much academically yet, but I’ve already spent about $3k of my savings this week alone on medical costs, and it feels like that’s going to keep happening every few months even before any stronger treatment.
At home, everything would be covered medically. Here, I’m paying for basically everything myself.
So I’m stuck trying to figure out if I should go home and actually get proper coverage and treatment, or stay and try to push through the next couple of years while basically managing flares with prednisone because that’s all I can afford.