Any one have experience getting approval? My derm said it takes up to 3 weeks. My insurance health insurance is united my prescription is through Aetna, not really sure which one they use since I have to go in for infusions.

Hi Mike,
This is one of those "it depends" questions. Some insurance companies approve Remicade (and the other biologics) without any hassles. Other companies make people jump through hoops before they'll approve it.
All biologic medications -- Enbrel, Humira, Remicade -- are very expensive, so some insurance companies require people to try and fail at least one other treatment before they'll agree to provide coverage for a biologic. (They'll typically insist that someone with psoriasis try and fail methotrexate and/or light treatments before they'll approve a biologic.)
Remicade says on their website:
Thanks Mike. BTW you are awesome and I love your all your links they have helped me a lot since coming to the boards, thank you! You're very welcome, Mike. I'm glad that I'm able to help.
I'm beginning to get a little concerned about approval. I've only done topicals to date. My derm didn't seem to think there would be a problem but, I'm nervous. She told me no need to call my insurance company but everyone else seems to think I should. It's natural to be nervous, but it's possible that your derm has experience with your insurance company and knows how to word and code the paperwork so that approval will come more or less automatically. Fingers and toes crossed that that's the case.

Which insurance company should I call? I have aetna for prescription coverage and united for medical? Does it fall under medical since I have to go in for infusions or is it a prescription since it's drugs? Each insurance policy is different, but I agree with your thinking that it falls under medical because it's an infusion.
Remicade customer assistance hotline may be a good place to start. According to their website: To find out if your insurance benefits cover REMICADE, call your insurer directly or contact AccessOneSM at 1-888-ACCESS-1 (222-3771). Source: http://www.remicade.com/global/gett...information.jsp.
Give them a call in the morning. They may be able to tell to you what their experience with your insurance company has been. (Since every insurance policy is different, they'll probably only be able to give you some general information but it can't hurt to give them a call.)
I hope this helps.
Good luck! Keep us posted!
Mike

as far as i know remicade falls under medical since it has to be infused in a dr. office or an infusion center.if you have any questions about remicade just pm me.i was on it for 2 years give or take a couple months.

I called my insurance company today. They don't see the claim yet. They said it takes 10 days from the day it's submitted before they can even see it. Then it takes up to 30 days for approval. Now, I'm frustrated another 30 days. How can they do that? I pay for the insurance and it doesn't specifically list that it's not covered! If my DR states I need it how can they keep me from my treatment for another 30 days.

Hi Mike,
I have been on remicade for over a year now except for about a month when I switched to Humira. I have BCBS of TN and Medco covers prescriptions. My infusions have always been covered by BCBS but I recently received a call from Medco explaining that if I wanted to order the remicade and have it shipped to my rhummy's office that I could that. However I then would have to pay my copay. If it goes through the medical insurance all I have to pay is my deductible and I meet that with one infusion. It only took one phone call from my rhummy to my insurance company and they approved the remicade but I had tried enbrel prior to that and had also been on methotrexate for quite sometime. Maybe if your doc calls it will speed the process up for you. Best of luck. I hope this helps some. Angie