Kelly Fryman: Surviving on Samples, Praying They Don’t Run Out

Kelly Fryman, a 63-year-old woman living with diabetes in Florida, has spent years working to keep her condition under control. She is proud of the progress she has made. “I went from 9.0 to 5.6 on my A1c,” she explained.

At first, Kelly managed her condition with medications such as Trulicity and Mounjaro. Eventually, she switched to Farxiga because of cost, but even that became unaffordable. The only way she can stay on the medication is through free samples from her doctor.

For the past year, Kelly has driven 30 minutes every two weeks to Niceville to pick up a limited supply. “They only give me like a two-week supply,” she said. Her doctor provides the samples because, as she told him, “I can’t afford to take it anymore and it has been helping me.”

The medication comes in a small yellow pill she takes once a day, and Kelly believes it has made a meaningful difference. “I think it’s helped me quite a bit because my AIC has really gone down to like almost a normal level.” Still, she worries about what will happen if the samples stop.  “I’m afraid of one time when I call and ask for samples that I’m probably not going to be able to get it. They give samples for so long, but they’re not a guaranteed that they’ll have those.”

Without the medication, Kelly’s options are limited. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m trying to lose some more weight just so I can hopefully keep my A1c down and you know I don’t eat sugar stuff or anything like that.”

Kelly has Florida Blue insurance but says it offers little help with the medications she needs. “It doesn’t cover enough of it to afford it. This plan I’m on, it’s terrible. It’s not really helping with a lot of things that I need.” Ironically, Kelly found it easier to qualify for assistance programs when she had no insurance at all. “I was doing better without insurance…but now that I have insurance, I don’t qualify for special programs,” she explained.

Kelly chose her marketplace plan to protect herself against other serious health concerns. “I’m 63 and I have a heart condition, so I wanted to try to keep my medications up-to-date and everything. And I had to have a heart valve replacement, so it’s really important that I keep insurance cause at any time I could have to go back in the hospital, and I have to get that redone.” It will be another two years before Kelly qualifies for Medicare.

She works part-time and receives SSI, but it’s still not enough. “I only get like $800 a month and so that’s why I’m having to work three days a week just to make it. Cause I mean, I’ve got bills to pay too and I want to be able to live within my means.”

The high cost of prescriptions adds enormous stress. “I was hoping that President Trump would go after the pharmaceutical companies and really crack down on the cost of things, but I don’t know. I don’t see it happening yet.” Kelly knows that the price of medications in the United States is far higher than in other countries. “You can go to any other country just about and get the drugs half the price of what we pay for it here in America. And it’s not right or not fair.”

For Kelly, access to affordable prescription drugs is not optional, it is the key to managing her diabetes and preventing dangerous health complications. As she put it, “I just feel like it helps with keep my sugars at a normal level. It’s nice to have that drug that helps keep your A1c down.”

Kelly’s story shows what is at stake when the price of prescription drugs puts treatment out of reach. Without affordable access, people living with chronic conditions face not only worsening health but also the stress of financial strain, limited options, and the fear of what will happen if the samples run out.