Key TakeawaysDespite recent cuts in insulin prices, the cost of diabetes care remains quite high, in part due to other medications and supplies necessary for the condition.Primary care providers and endocrinologists are a good first line of defense to help you find accessible treatments and keep appointments affordable.Several organizations exist to help patients find reduced-cost prescriptions and supplies.
Key Takeaways
Despite recent cuts in insulin prices, the cost of diabetes care remains quite high, in part due to other medications and supplies necessary for the condition.Primary care providers and endocrinologists are a good first line of defense to help you find accessible treatments and keep appointments affordable.Several organizations exist to help patients find reduced-cost prescriptions and supplies.
A recent study published in theAnnals of Internal Medicinehad a striking finding: at least hundreds of people use crowdfunding campaigns to help pay for the cost of treating diabetes.
“By one estimate an insulin dependent patient with insurance spends about $4,800 annually on medications, physicians’ visits, supplies, hospitalizations, and lost wages,” the authors wrote.
Medicareandseveral insulin manufacturersrecently capped the price or copay for insulin at $35 per month, down from what could be hundreds of dollars per month depending on a person’s dose and numbers of times per day they use insulin. And in April, legislationwas introduced in Congressto urge all insurers to charge no more than $35 per month for insulin.
But insulin isn’t the only expense people with diabetes face. Millions of people take diabetes medications other than insulin and those prices have not been capped.
“There are a lot of supplies involved, especially for monitoring glucose levels,”Kashif Munir, MD,medical director of the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, told Verywell. “As health care providers, we’re finally catching on to the fact that health is not just giving people medicine but looking at the whole picture. We have social workers, clinical nurses, and diabetes educators at our center. We have a food pantry stocked with healthy food and can get people a ride to their medical visit.”
Traveling with Diabetes
Why Diabetes Care Is So Expensive
According to Munir, insurance does not always cover enough testing supplies—which include lancets to draw blood and test strips to check blood sugar levels in the drawn blood (too low and people need to eat something sugary to bring up their levels; too high and they need immediate insulin).
Other expenses can includefootwear to help reduce pressure sores. Because some people with diabetes have poor circulatory systems, such sores can lead to infections and amputations.
“If there is a wound, then patients need special dressings and medications. Other expenses can include the glucose meters (also calledglucometers) to read the glucose levels,” said Munir, who is also a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “Newer, and more expensive devices can include insulin pumps that deliver insulin continuously and offer additional boluses at the push of a button. This is instead of using a syringe and needle, or a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) which attaches to the abdomen and continuously monitors glucose levels. CGMs can be as high as $1,000 though the companies that manufacture them have some assistance programs for people without insurance.”
Access to Diabetes Care: Issues, Resources, and Solutions
Munir said doctors and their staff may be able to help patients find less expensive medications, or help patients find medication assistance programs from drug manufacturers.
Caroline Sloan, MD, the lead author of the journal article about crowdfunding, as well as an internist and faculty member of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy at the Duke University School of Medicine, told Verywell that there are often policy barriers to physicians being able to reduce their patients’ costs.
“But there are sometimes things we can do.” Sloan said. “If a patient tells me that the transportation to my clinic is too expensive, I might schedule an occasional telephone or video appointment…if supplies are too expensive, I might refer them to my clinic’s social worker to find out if there are any coupons or patient assistance programs available.”
Speak With Your Providers About Discounts and Generics
Don’t hesitate to talk with your healthcare team if you have trouble paying for your diabetes medicines and supplies. Patients who take Mounjaro, for example, which costs over $1,000 per month out of pocket, have often been able to find savings coupons that cut down on drug copays. And if your insurance denies coverage, a letter from your doctor on why you need the drug can sometimes result in coverage, Munir said.
Ways to Save on Mounjaro and Ozempic
Ask if there are generic versions of the medicines you need for managing diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Even when generic versions of medicines aren’t available, there may be different, less expensive medicines available that can be effective.
Medical staff may also have free samples of supplies and some medicines that can save you a bit of money.
Take Advantage of Organizations Designed to Find You Discounts
These organizations may be able to help people with limited incomes afford diabetes supplies:
What This Means For You
1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sloan CE, Campagna A, Tu K, Doerstling S, Davis JK, Ubel PA.Online crowdfunding campaigns for diabetes-related expenses.Ann Intern Med. 2023;176(7):1012-1014. doi:10.7326/M23-0540
1 Source
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sloan CE, Campagna A, Tu K, Doerstling S, Davis JK, Ubel PA.Online crowdfunding campaigns for diabetes-related expenses.Ann Intern Med. 2023;176(7):1012-1014. doi:10.7326/M23-0540
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Sloan CE, Campagna A, Tu K, Doerstling S, Davis JK, Ubel PA.Online crowdfunding campaigns for diabetes-related expenses.Ann Intern Med. 2023;176(7):1012-1014. doi:10.7326/M23-0540
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