Humira has a list price of about $6,923 per month before insurance, making it one of the most expensive medications on the market. What you actually pay, though, depends heavily on your insurance type, your specific plan, and whether you use savings programs. Most people with commercial insurance pay far less than the sticker price, and some pay nothing at all.
The List Price vs. What You Actually Pay
The wholesale acquisition cost for a standard monthly supply of Humira is $6,923 as of 2024. That’s the price pharmacies pay before any discounts or rebates, and it’s roughly what you’d owe if you walked in without insurance. Over a full year, that adds up to more than $83,000.
Almost nobody pays this amount. If you have commercial insurance through an employer or the marketplace, your plan negotiates a lower price, and your share is typically a copay or coinsurance. The exact amount varies widely by plan. Some people owe $5 a month, others owe several hundred. The key factor is whether Humira sits on a “preferred” or “specialty” tier in your plan’s formulary, which determines how much of the cost your insurer shifts to you.
Costs on Medicare Part D
Medicare beneficiaries have historically faced steep out-of-pocket costs for Humira. Estimates from 2019 data put annual spending between $5,168 and $5,196 for Part D enrollees, depending on the dose. That’s because once you hit the coverage gap (sometimes called the “donut hole”), you were responsible for a larger percentage of the drug’s cost.
Starting in 2025, a new annual cap limits Part D out-of-pocket drug spending to $2,000 per year ($2,100 in 2026). This is a significant change for Humira users on Medicare. Once you hit that cap, your plan covers the rest for the remainder of the year. For a drug this expensive, most people will reach that threshold within the first month or two of treatment.
How Dosing Affects Your Total Cost
Most Humira indications call for one 40 mg injection every other week, which works out to about two injections per month. This applies to rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and plaque psoriasis (after an initial loading dose).
The exception is hidradenitis suppurativa. Adults with this condition take 40 mg every week after the loading phase, doubling the monthly supply to four injections. That means roughly double the cost. If your copay or coinsurance is based on a percentage of the drug price rather than a flat fee, weekly dosing will noticeably increase what you owe.
AbbVie’s Copay Card for Commercial Insurance
AbbVie, the company that makes Humira, offers a copay assistance program through Humira Complete. For people with commercial insurance, this card covers a portion of your out-of-pocket costs up to $14,000 per calendar year. Monthly maximums may also apply.
There’s an important catch. If your insurance plan uses what’s called a “copay maximizer” or “copay accumulator” program, AbbVie may cap its assistance at $4,000 instead of $14,000. These programs, which are increasingly common, prevent manufacturer copay cards from counting toward your deductible or out-of-pocket maximum. The result is that you may face higher costs later in the year once the copay card runs out. Check with your insurer to find out whether your plan uses one of these programs.
The copay card is not available to people on Medicare, Medicaid, or other government insurance.
Free Humira Through Patient Assistance
If you have limited or no insurance, AbbVie’s patient assistance program (myAbbVie Assist) provides Humira at no cost to qualifying patients. Eligibility is based on household size and annual income:
- 1 person: $63,840 or less
- 2 people: $86,560 or less
- 3 people: $109,280 or less
- 4 people: $132,000 or less
For households larger than four, add $22,720 for each additional family member. One restriction to be aware of: if your commercial insurance plan requires you to apply to myAbbVie Assist as a condition of coverage (sometimes called an “alternate funding program”), you’re not eligible.
Biosimilars as a Lower-Cost Alternative
Several biosimilars to Humira are now available in the U.S. These are near-identical versions of the drug made by other manufacturers, similar to how generic drugs work for simpler medications. They treat the same conditions and have the same active ingredient (adalimumab) but often cost less.
One notable option: Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs pharmacy sells Yusimry, a Humira biosimilar, for $569.27 plus dispensing and shipping fees. That’s roughly 92% less than Humira’s list price. Other biosimilars are priced at various points between that and Humira’s full cost, and availability depends on what your insurance formulary covers.
If cost is a concern, it’s worth asking your prescriber whether a biosimilar is an option. Some insurance plans now prefer biosimilars over brand-name Humira, meaning you could actually pay less by switching. In other cases, plans still favor Humira because of rebate agreements with AbbVie, so the cheapest option for you personally depends on your specific coverage.