Out-of-Pocket Costs Nobody Warns You About With IBD

April 11, 2026April 11, 20261 Comment

When most people hear about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), they think about symptoms—abdominal pain, urgency, fatigue, flares. What they don’t think about? The financial toll.

Living with IBD, whether it’s Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, comes with a lengthy list of out-of-pocket costs that rarely get discussed at diagnosis.

IBD patients experience 3 times higher healthcare-related work loss than non-IBD peers. And for many patients and families, those costs become a constant, underlying stressor that shapes daily decisions.

This week on Lights, Camera, Crohn’s a deep dive into the cost of living with IBD and why you’re not alone if financing your health is a constant concern.

Medications (Even When You’re Insured)

Biologics, immunosuppressants, steroids, you name it… IBD medications are often life-changing, but they’re also expensive. Before insurance comes into play it’s shocking when you hear how costly these medications are without coverage:

To break it down, without insurance, two auto-injector Humira pens cost an average of $10,782.36.

Without insurance, a Remicade infusion could cost you anywhere from $4,000-$7,000.

The list price of Skyrizi without insurance is approximately $32,566 per 150 mg injector pen, with variations depending on pharmacy and dosing method.

A 30-day supply of Rinvoq pills without insurance would cost between $7,000-$9,600, depending on dosage and pharmacy.

Without insurance, Stelara costs approximately $21,191 for a 45 mg syringe or $25,497 for a 90 mg syringe, with potential savings through discount programs and patient assistance.

… you get the idea.

And even with insurance, we deal with:

Monthly copays
Specialty pharmacy fees
Deductibles that reset every year
Prior authorization delays that interrupt treatment

And sometimes, the biggest cost isn’t financial, it’s physical and emotional when we’re forced to switch medications due to insurance, even when a medication is keeping our disease stable. There’s also the stress we face when switching employers and having to restart the process of getting coverage for our heavy-duty medications with a different insurance and specialty pharmacy.

The Cost of Staying “Stable”

Routine monitoring is a non-negotiable part of IBD care. Annual lab tests, scans, and scopes add up.

This includes:

Bloodwork (often every 3-6 months and sometimes more depending on whether you’re flaring)
Stool tests
Colonoscopies and endoscopies
Imaging like MREs, CT scans, intestinal ultrasounds

These aren’t one-time expenses; they’re repeated regularly to track inflammation and prevent complications. And while they’re essential, they often come with recurring out-of-pocket costs that add up over time. Even after living with Crohn’s for nearly 21 years, it’s always a surprise how much my labs are going to cost. I try and get my colonoscopies in December before my deductible starts over at the start of the year.

Along with managing our disease with those costs, there are also the copays to see specialists to manage our care. A $40 copay to see a dermatologist, bone health doctor, ophthalmologist, primary care doctor, gynecologist…the list goes on, adds up quickly.

Travel, Parking, and Time Away

IBD care isn’t always close to home. My GI office is about 40 minutes away, compared to many people I know, that’s close by. Due to lack of access, many patients must travel to see specialists, infusion centers, or undergo procedures. That can mean:

Gas, tolls, and parking fees (I know some patients who take an airplane to appointments!)
Hotel stays for early morning procedures and out-of-state appointments
Time off work (for patients and caregivers)

These logistical costs are rarely acknowledged, but they’re part of the reality. There have been countless times through my patient journey when I’m stuck in traffic and resent the fact that I have to waste so much time just to manage my disease.

The Cost of “Safe” Food

Food is one of the most personal and frustrating parts of living with IBD.

There’s no one-size-fits-all diet, and many patients rely on trial and error to figure out what works. Often:

“Safe foods” can cost more
Specialty items aren’t always covered by assistance programs
What works one month may not work the next

The financial burden of constantly adapting your diet is real and ongoing. Working alongside a registered dietitian for nutritional guidance may or may not be covered by your insurance. Many insurers cover medical nutrition therapy for digestive diseases, so make sure to look into this.

The Everyday Essentials

Then there are the items no one puts on a medical bill, but every patient knows are necessary:

Extra toilet paper and wipes
Heating pads
Backup clothes and supplies for emergencies
Over-the-counter medications and supplements
The cost of colonoscopy prep (buying clear liquids, Miralax/Dulcolax, SUTAB pill prep is about $50 depending on insurance, etc.)

Individually, they may seem small. Together, they’re part of the cost of living with IBD every single day.

The Hidden Cost of Missed Work

IBD doesn’t follow a schedule. Flares, fatigue, appointments, and recovery time can all impact a person’s ability to work consistently. That might look like:

Missed work days
Reduced hours
Limited career flexibility
Lost income over time

For many, this is one of the most significant and least visible financial burdens. After my bowel resection surgery, I had to be on short-term disability for 2 months which was only 60% of my salary.

Mental Health Support

The emotional weight of IBD is just as real as the physical symptoms.

Therapy, stress management tools, and mental health support can be critical for coping, but they’re not always fully covered by insurance. Many patients pay out-of-pocket for care that helps them navigate:

Anxiety around flares
Medical trauma
The daily uncertainty of chronic illness

For many of us, this is not optional, it’s part of comprehensive care.

Even in Remission, the Costs Don’t Disappear

One of the biggest misconceptions about IBD is that remission means everything goes back to normal. But financially, that’s rarely the case.

Even in remission, patients are still:

Taking medications
Attending regular appointments
Monitoring for signs of inflammation
Planning for the unexpected

The disease may be quiet, but the costs are not. As chronic illness patients, we know how delicate our remission is and that on any given day we can be back in a hospital bed trying to navigate an obstacle that wasn’t on our radar a week prior.

Why We Need to Talk About This More

The financial burden of IBD is often invisible, but it affects real-life decisions every day:

Can I afford this medication?
Should I delay this test?
Is it worth taking time off work for this appointment?

These aren’t just healthcare questions, they’re quality-of-life questions. Often, we can feel like a burden to our partner and our family as the medical bills come in, with no end in sight.

And until we talk more openly about the economic impact of chronic illness, patients will continue to carry this weight quietly.

What Can We Do About It?

Ask about patient assistance programs
Many drug manufacturers offer copay cards or financial aid.
Request itemized bills
Errors happen more often than you think and can be corrected.
Talk to your care team about costs
Doctors can sometimes adjust testing frequency or suggest alternatives.
Time big procedures strategically
If possible, schedule costly tests after hitting your deductible.
Use HSA/FSA accounts if available
These can help offset out-of-pocket expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Don’t skip mental health support—ask about coverage options
Some therapists offer sliding scale fees.

Final Thoughts

IBD is more than a diagnosis. It’s more than symptoms. It’s a lifelong condition that comes with physical, emotional, and financial layers, many of which no one warns you about. But acknowledging those realities doesn’t make patients weak. It makes the conversation more honest. And that’s where change begins.

More Information:

4 Tips for When Insurance Doesn’t Cover Your Medication – GoodRx

How to save money on prescription medication: 13 tips

The Cost of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care: How to Make it Sustainable – Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology

AGA-Economic-Burden-Infographic.pdf

The economic burden of inflammatory bowel disease – The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Managing inflammatory bowel disease: what to do when the best is unaffordable? – The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Global, regional, and national burden of inflammatory bowel disease from 1990 to 2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 | Gastroenterology Report | Oxford Academic

The Humanitarian Disaster in Ukraine: A firsthand account from an IBD mom

March 30, 2022March 30, 2022Leave a comment

As she fears for her life each day and every night in her homeland of Ukraine, Elena Sotskova thinks back to when her body started going to war against ulcerative colitis. She was 21 years old. Now, as a 47-year-old IBD mom, she shares firsthand experience of what it’s like to live in absolute chaos and devastation while trying to manage a chronic illness like IBD. Every morning Elena and her family wake up at 6 a.m. to the sound of explosions and gunfire. Oftentimes the internet and electricity go in and out, with repair workers constantly having to restore power.

Before we get into the utter heartbreak and unthinkable sadness, here’s some background. This isn’t the first time Elena has had to run from her home to try and reach safety. Shortly after her ulcerative colitis diagnosis, she fled with her 3-month-old daughter to Kyiv from Crimea, to avoid an abusive husband. At the time, she had the equivalent of 25 U.S. dollars in her pocket. Prior to becoming a mom, Elena worked for one of the largest banks in Ukraine, so she was confident she’d be able to land back on her feet in no time and support herself and her daughter. The stress of the divorce and being forced to start anew exacerbated her IBD.

“My condition was worsened by constant diarrhea, bleeding, low hemoglobin, and as a result, constant fatigue. I tried not to pay attention to it as I needed to work and make money for myself and the baby. My ulcerative colitis limited what I could do and where I could go. I used to be unable to go for walks unless I know where the restrooms were. I always had spare clothes with me and wet wipes, in case I did not make it in time.”

Since then, Elena has managed her ulcerative colitis with Mesalamine, in large doses (6-8 grams per day).

“In Ukraine at that time there was no biological therapy, and even clinical studies of such therapy did not take place. All that was available to patients were hormones and mesalamine. In addition, in Ukraine there is no compulsory insurance medicine (until now), there are no state programs for the treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, so I and other patients must buy drugs with our own money. And they are, as you know, not cheap. Compared to the level of income in Ukraine, it is expensive.”

How love found its way

Elena says she was working to buy her medicine. It felt like a vicious, never-ending cycle. But Elena’s luck in the love department took an amazing turn.

“I was lucky, I met a wonderful man, named Leonid who has a son. Leonid later became my second husband. I immediately told him about my illness. He accepted me, my IBD, and my child. He wouldn’t turn away from me or be ashamed when I had an accident at an event or in a public place. He helped me and supported me. And as a result, I stopped being nervous about my ulcerative colitis. I stopped worrying, and after I became calmer, the disease slowly began to subside.”

Leonid also started to take care of all the costs associated with her IBD treatments. Elena credits him for reviving her medically and emotionally, allowing her to reach remission after chasing after it for years. She was able to travel comfortably away from home and see the world through a different lens.

Prior to the war with Russia, Elena had big plans for herself. She aspired to begin her MBA and travel to English-speaking countries.

When the explosions hit

“All plans collapsed at 4 a.m. on February 24, 2022. We woke up to the explosions, saw the message “The Russians are bombing Kyiv, the war has begun.” That was more than a month ago, but it seems like we’ve been living in this nightmare for ages.”

Elena’s daughter, Alina, had recently arrived in Poland to study, but she happened to be home in Ukraine with family when the war started. Prior to this happening her travel plans were to fly back on February 27^th. Of course, that all changed.

“She was supposed to fly back to Warsaw on Sunday, but war broke out on Thursday. Immediately, air traffic over Ukraine stopped. And hell began. Kyiv was bombed from the very beginning, we sat in the bathroom during the air raid, went down to the basement or went to the shelter. We did not turn on the lights in the apartment and taped the windows with duct tape so that they would not be knocked out by the explosions. We walked the dog for 5-10 minutes, near the house, so that if the shelling started, we could quickly hide. We live in Kyiv on the 7th floor, and most of all I was afraid that a bomb would hit our house, and we would either be overwhelmed or burned in a fire.”

Elena says for days on end she sat with her husband and daughter in their apartment. Alina would constantly cry. They learned that evacuation trains were leaving Kyiv for western Ukraine. At this point, they decided to send Alina back to Poland.

Nights spent at the railway station

“The most terrible were the three days that Alina and I spent in the basement of the railway station in Kyiv. There is a curfew, you cannot go outside in the evening, in addition, it was dangerous to go outside, because they are constantly shelling. My daughter and I got to the train station and decided to wait here until she could take the train to safety. My husband and son stayed home with the dog.”

The trains to leave Ukraine were like something out of a horror movie. Instead of a train car fitting the usual four people, they were packed with 20-plus people. People were ready to stand for an entire day just to leave Kyiv.

“Alina could not get on the train that was going to Warsaw, and we stayed overnight at the station. At night, the air alarm did not cease, explosions were heard, we went to the shelter (basement) of the station, which for three days turned into a home for us. We tried to sleep on the floor, it was warm, but the main thing was that it was safe. Finally, on the second day, we managed to put Alina on the train to Lviv. She left, and I was standing on the platform crying and praying that the train on the way would not be shelled, and my daughter would reach Lviv intact.”

Elena had to stay alone at the train station for an additional night because of the curfew in Kyiv. She was afraid her IBD would start acting up from the overwhelming stress and worry and terrified she was going to be killed.

“My gut understood me, it “behaved quietly”, and did not give me cause for concern. During the 21 years of illness, I learned to negotiate with him. On the fourth day, when the curfew was lifted, I was finally able to return home, wash myself and clean myself up. And my daughter had already reached Poland and was safe. We thought that somehow, we could adapt to this situation. We had food, water, gas, electricity, and Internet. We thought that we could somehow live in Kyiv. But this turned out to be unrealistic, as soon as dusk came, the city was pierced by an air alarm, it turned on several times during the night.”

Deciding to leave Kyiv

Bombing began each morning between 3 and 4. Elena and her family stayed in their clothes and didn’t sleep. She would take her dog and lock herself in the bathroom while her husband and son were standing in the hallway where there were no windows.

“Then a cruise missile hit a television tower, close to our house. It was afternoon, her son had just gone out to the store for bread, and there was an explosion, a crash, a fire. People who were nearby were killed. My husband said that we needed to leave Kyiv, it was extremely dangerous.”

So that’s what they did. They left for Elena’s mother-in-law’s house who lives in a village outside of Kyiv. There are no military or infrastructure facilities there, so they are hopeful it will not be bombed. As you are reading this, Elena is still there.

“In the village it is calmer, the battles are 30-40 kilometers (20-30 miles) away, we constantly hear artillery shots, gunfire, explosions, and flying missiles. But there is no air raid alarm, which was so exhausting in Kyiv. It’s still impossible to sleep normally. We are afraid that we will be occupied, and we are not where there are active battles.”

Running out of IBD medicine

But, Elena now faces another major issue. She will run out of her IBD medication this week and there is no way to buy it or receive it. Since the war started, she’s heard from countless other patients in the same bind. Doctors have fled, there’s no place to safely receive treatment, and for those who are now refugees or without jobs, they struggle to afford their medications. Elena knew she had to do something.

“I began to write to the European Crohn’s and Colitis Association, manufacturers of drugs, everyone who I could, to find out how to help our patients. Poland and Estonia immediately responded. They understand if Ukraine does not resist, the war will go on, to Poland, and the Baltic countries may also suffer. Now we are in constant contact with our European colleagues and are waiting for humanitarian assistance from them. Packages from Greece are supposed to arrive any day now.”

While Elena’s ulcerative colitis is under control now, she’s been forced to reduce her daily medication dose by half to try and keep medication in her body for as long as she can. She’s starting to feel that reminiscent pain we all know too well when our intestines are making themselves known. The pain, bloating, and diarrhea have been more consistent for her, but she doesn’t feel she’s flaring yet.

“I’m very scared that if I go into a flare, there will be no one and no place to treat me. I am afraid that this war will drag on for a long time, and then it is impossible to predict the condition of either mine or our other Ukrainian patients.”

Her friend was able to find her mesalamine in Kyiv. She bought the medication, but it’s been a week now and the package has not arrived to Elena’s new address. Tomorrow (March 31), Elena’s husband will venture back to Kyiv to try and get Elena the medicine she relies on.

She tells me she no longer cries or has emotions and that every day feels like déjà vu. Sometimes she feels like a robot in an out of body experience. Elena says the Ukrainian people are steadfast, strong, and remain hopeful they will be victorious in the end.

Tomorrow on Lights, Camera, Crohn’s you’ll learn about Elena’s inspiring patient advocacy prior to the Russian invasion, how she co-founded an IBD organization to support the patient community, and how she’s working day and night right now to help the approximate 11,000 Ukrainians who live with IBD and are struggling to manage a disease while living through a war.

Self-care isn’t selfish: Using my birthday as a re-set button

August 24, 2020August 24, 20204 Comments

One of my friends recently said I need to start doing more for me, that once I fill my own cup that energy and that fulfillment will spill onto others, without making me feel depleted and like I’m constantly in survival mode. As an IBD mom of two, who has lived with Crohn’s for more than 15 years, these challenging times we’re living in have forced us all to pause and refocus on what’s important and what we need to do to get by.

Today is my 37^th birthday. Sounds a lot older than I feel, but chronic illness has a way of forcing you to grow up and mature well beyond your years. Between the pandemic, mom life, and my advocacy work, there hasn’t been much time for a breather. I feel as though I’ve been coasting for awhile. Coasting through the day to day. Coasting through remission. Coasting just to make it through.

I don’t want to coast anymore

If you’re feeling the same, please follow my lead and that of others, who have recognized they’re ready to do more to improve their quality of life.

I want to stop being such a “yes” person.

I want to stop making excuses.

I want to stop waking up when my kids call out for me and instead start my day with a cup of coffee outside on the patio or a workout, followed by a shower, while the house is calm and quiet.

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I want to stop not asking for help.

I want to stop staying up so late binge watching TV or scrolling through my phone.

I want to stop going months on end without a night out with my husband (we’re going on a date tonight for the first time in over six months!)

I want to stop working seven days a week and being at everyone’s beckon call and instead set aside days where I’m offline and able to live in the moment.

I want to start prioritizing my health, my well-being, my marriage, my friendships, who I am outside of being a mom and a person with chronic illness, because while that’s a lot of me—it’s not all of me.

Finding the ‘Joie de vivre’

Let’s face it, this coronavirus nightmare isn’t ending anytime soon. Much like a chronic illness diagnosis—there is no end in sight. We all rise to that challenge day after day, and don’t think twice. I fear if I don’t start spending more time for myself, I may put my remission in jeopardy and that scares me, big time, because when you’re a mom and a wife, your flares impact a lot more than just you.

I look at this 37^th year with a lot of hope and a lot of possibility. I’m eternally grateful for the life I have and the family and friends I have around me, near and far. Recognizing there’s a need for change is similar to the importance of being proactive in managing your illness and doing all the things you can to set yourself up for success—whether it’s seeing countless specialists for medical care and preventative screenings, taking medication, getting blood draws and scopes, etc.…I look at this form of self-care as just as important in managing my Crohn’s and giving myself the best shot of staying out of the hospital and flare-free.

Cheers to the next 365 days and beyond! Thank you for following my journey and for your support through the years. This blog is like one of my babies and being able to speak to you through it is one of the most cathartic aspects of my patient journey. If you’re feeling like you’re in a bit of a rut or a funk, remember self-care is not selfish. Now I just need to practice what I preach.

Tactics for Utilizing a Health Diary to take on your IBD

February 24, 2020February 24, 2020Leave a comment

Many of us struggle to manage our chronic conditions, between ongoing appointments, day to day life, and coping with the unpredictable symptoms of our conditions. This is where our mobile phones come in handy. Thanks to ever-evolving technology, we can feel empowered and a bit more in control of our overall well-being by tracking, managing, and learning about our ongoing health treatment.

Going with the adage of what gets measured gets improved. There are a few things we can do to make managing our chronic disease(s) easier. The first step is keeping your care team in the loop, the second is following through on your care plan consistently, and the last is to focus on monitoring and potentially improving your treatment plan as needed.

Having a Care Team Can Help

We all utilize the help of others to maintain our health one way or another. The case may also be that you could be taking care of others.

As an example, in the CareClinic health diary app, you can add caregivers phone numbers to quickly save all information in one place for times of need. Additionally, users can enable the sharing of “Progress Reports” which include adherence information and all other modalities to optimize your health. Sometimes a caregiver may not be aware of what you need to take and when, this too can be shared via the “Share Care Plans” functionality.

Sticking to Your Care Plan Can Be Easy

A care plan from your doctor may encompass taking certain medications at a certain time. However, a comprehensive care plan is much more than that. A care plan is your “self care to-do list” which will enable rapid health improvements.

It may include eating healthier, eating at a certain time, tracking and managing your calories or sugar levels. Some other things that can be added to a care plan may include tracking activities, therapies and even setting reminders to check certain measurements and symptoms throughout the day.

A care plan is everything you need to do to maintain good health. Adding these values will reduce cognitive burden and help you remain on track. An app such as the CareClinic app can provide alerts, notifications and warnings based on your care plan, even better.

Monitoring Progress and Adjusting Your Health Accordingly

Patients often wonder if there is a point in maintaining a health diary. It may make sense to use a calendar or reminders to be notified when to take medications, but are there any inherent benefits to recording when medication was taken, or how we felt afterwards in a diary?

The answer as you can imagine by now is an astounding “Yes, there is a point and a need.” By recording this pertinent information in a health diary, you no longer have to guess and see if a certain medication is causing adverse reactions or flare-ups. You’re taking the guesswork out the picture and providing yourself with more clarity.

Apps are now capable of leveraging AI to automatically help you figure out what’s working and what’s not. Even if the app is not able to make these correlations, your care team will appreciate the undertaking and potentially understand your health a bit better. When you provide data in a structured way to professionals, they can better learn and tweak their treatment for you, no matter what condition you are up against.

Tracking Health for a Better You

A health diary enables greater understanding about your own health and helps communicate the information in an objective way to healthcare professionals.

Web based and mobile diaries are a tool that can help you discover new information about yourself and provide for a more in dept history of how your treatment is progressing. In fact, it has been proven that maintaining a health diary can lead to a multitude of benefits (see this study). You can easily get into the habit by starting to track the essentials and then slowly adding more items to your care plan as you start to see patterns emerge.

This post is sponsored by CareClinic. Thoughts and opinions shared were my own.

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Tag: managing IBD

Out-of-Pocket Costs Nobody Warns You About With IBD

The Humanitarian Disaster in Ukraine: A firsthand account from an IBD mom

Self-care isn’t selfish: Using my birthday as a re-set button

Tactics for Utilizing a Health Diary to take on your IBD