Managing diabetes is more than a health balancing act — it also requires walking a financial tightrope.
In addition to doctors’ visits, medications and insulin, buying diabetes supplies can potentially drain your wallet. From blood glucose monitors and testing strips to insulin pumps and lancets — and lots more — the numbers add up.
[Read: 6 Ways to Save Money on Your Diabetes Medications.]
In fact, someone with diabetes has average medical expenses of about $13,700 a year, almost $8,000 of which is attributed to diabetes, according to American Diabetes Association data released in 2013. Those costs are 2.3 times higher than for someone without diabetes. “When we are dealing with pumps, multiple daily injections and/or a continuous glucose monitor, the cost of maintaining these supplies is significant,” says registered nurse Jamie McCarthy, diabetes nurse educator at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.
With the expansion of high-deductible health insurance plans, patients often pay even more out-of-pocket than they did in the past.
However, there are ways you can slash your expenses. Here are 11 ideas to save money on your diabetes supplies.
Use the supplies covered by your insurance company, advises endocrinologist and Endocrine Society spokeswoman Dr. Grazia Aleppo, with Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. Insurance companies often will cover the cost of a specific blood glucose monitor and related supplies. Or, you’ll have a lower copayment if you buy that item. If you have insurance, this helps you eliminate something you’d otherwise pay for out of pocket. Ask your health insurance company if you’re not sure what it covers.
Shop around. Check your local drug store and supermarket weekly ads for coupons for blood glucose meters or sales on test strips, recommends registered nurse and certified diabetes educator Nancy W. Barton of Fit4D in New York City. You can also buy generic meters and testing strips versus brand-name ones.
Some stores will have rewards programs so the more you shop there, the more you can qualify for discounts on a variety of products. You probably have one of those rewards cards in your wallet or on your key ring already.
You also can shop around for diabetes supplies online using well-known sites like Walmart.com or Amazon or using mail-order pharmacy or medical supply sites. One item that you may find cheaper through shopping around is test strips to use with your blood glucose monitor. However, make sure you’re using the test strips that are made for your specific monitor. “There is no mixing strips with meters,” says registered nurse and certified diabetes educator PJ Pugh, program director of the Chronic Disease Management Program at Baylor Community Care Clinics in Dallas.
[Read: 11 Tips for Testing Your Blood Sugar at Home.]
Ask a certified diabetes educator for help. If all this bargain hunting sounds a little overwhelming, then set up a visit with a local certified diabetes educator. “The certified diabetes educator I work with knows all the discounts. She’s phenomenal,” Aleppo says. It’s part of their job to stay up on the latest supplies and their discounts.
Attend local diabetes events. “Pharmaceutical, medical device and other companies that make diabetes supplies are usually at these functions promoting their products,” Barton says. “They may have free meters, samples and discount coupons for diabetes supplies.” You can find diabetes expos and events on the American Diabetes Association and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation websites.
Take part in research studies. There are always plenty of studies going on within diabetes. Some of them recruit patients and offer free supplies during the study period, Barton says. Similarly, focus groups that want to work with patients with diabetes may offer free supplies or compensation, McCarthy says.
Spend wisely. If you have a high-deductible health insurance plan, you may have a health savings account or a flexible savings account. Buy your diabetes supplies through these accounts, and you’ll use pretax dollars, saving on the taxes for these items.
Ask if your doctor will write a prescription for testing strips “as needed” versus a specific number of times per day, Pugh suggests. “This way, the patient can refill the prescription as needed,” she says.
Buy in bulk. You usually save money when buying three months’ worth of prescriptions and supplies versus just for a month, McCarthy says.
Ask for samples. These could be available from diabetes supply companies, your certified diabetes educator or from a doctor.
Find out about patient assistance programs. A number of manufacturers as well as charitable groups will offer medications and supplies at low or no cost to patients who qualify. You’ll have to fill out some paperwork and you have to be uninsured, Pugh says. There are also diabetes support groups online that will collect supplies to distribute to those in need, McCarthy adds.
[See: 6 Tips to Keep Diabetics Out of the Hospital.]
Don’t skimp on supplies. You may think that reusing lancets or pen needles or refilling used insulin pump cartridges are smart ways to cut costs. However, these could cost you more in the long run, Barton says. For instance, reused supplies increase the risk for infection, and refilling used insulin pump cartridges could affect functionality and also raise your infection risk. If you test your blood sugar less frequently in an attempt to use fewer test strips, you could end up with dangerously high or low blood sugar. “That may be risky, as they may not know what their blood glucose level is when getting behind the wheel to drive,” Pugh says. Skimping on blood sugar testing could lead to more diabetes complications or even an emergency room visit, Aleppo says. Focus instead on where you can save on your supplies, and use them as directed by your health care team. And check expiration dates so you’re not holding on to supplies that won’t work as they should when you need them.
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11 Ways to Save on Diabetes Supplies originally appeared on usnews.com
