36 Comments
Do you currently use any of the following insulin pumps?
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Ypso
I just switched to the tandem T Slim x2 Saturday from the omnipod dash
I use the Omnipod Eros but I have the Omnipod 5 that I received a couple of weeks and will be switching to it soon. I want to first build up my supply of Dexcom sensors and pods before switching since I know how unreliable the medical suppliers are.
We loop with Eros pods
Use the 630
So far Tricare is not covering Omnipod 5 — but I plan to move to OP5 as soon as it is covered.
O5 is listed on the formulary as not avail by mail order or network, but local mil-pharmacy may carry it. If you haven’t ckd it might be a source b
Not permitted to use on base pharmacies as we were never treated there—-and denied multiple times in attempts to use retail or ES mail order. Thanks for suggestion—wish it were easy. Young mom wrote her Senator and OP5 pods are shipping now! We shouldn’t have to do this.
I knew the Tandem T:slim was popular but not how popular. That is good to see. I transitioned to Tandem from an older Medtronic pump in September 2020. I’m pleased with the T:slim (with Control IQ) but there are some things that Medtronic did better. The T:slim cartridge change process is onerous. The Medtronic reservoir change was/is so much simpler and easier. Being able to see how many units are in the Medtronic reservoir is also a big plus. With the T:slim, you cannot view the bladder which is encased in the black plastic cartridge AND you only receive notice that an estimated range of insulin units is available in the cartridge (+40u, +60u, +120u, +180u, +240u) until 10 units have been delivered. Then you receive a notice of actual units remaining in increments of 5u until less than 40u are left where it will then decrease by 1u. For those of us with high insulin sensitivity and lower Total Daily Insulin usage (mine varies from 18u to 25u) this is not satisfactory. I will load my T:slim with 90u of insulin to last me 3 days. Immediately after the cartridge change, I see that I have 60+u of insulin in the cartridge and am usually well into my day 2 of use before I get a more accurate idea of how many u I have left. I LOVE the Control IQ feature of the Tandem but hope that Tandem is addressing some of these issues. In late 2025, I will again be eligible to upgrade my pump and will be looking at all of the available options covered by Medicare at that time.
I agree completely with your opinion of the cartridge/changing system!
Goood assessment. Cartridge change is made more difficult by having to poke needles into little target twice, once to remove residual bubbles, once to fill. Tandem pump also went with a polarized plug on charger that seems difficult to insert. Various alarms (recharging, high blood pressure two hours ago) seem excessive.
That’s one of my complaint too. I use an average of 22 daily units so there’s a lost of insulin wasted.
Maybe because I have only ever used the Tandem slim 2x, I don’t have a problem with loading my cartridge since I have nothing to compare it too. I don’t deal with air bubbles as I load my cartridge differently than I was taught. (1) I pull out the amount of air from my cartridge that I plan on filling it with 2) I fill my syringe with insulin as I used to do with regular syringes and inject the insulin into the cartridge 3) fill the tubing. I also just use about 20 units per day so it can be a little frustrating wasting 10 units every three days. Thankfully I have insurance which covers most of the cost of my insulin and it covers all of my pump supplies.
I use 770G now but have been considering Tslim:X2.
Waiting for 780G first, I hope.
Me too
I’m currently using the Omnipod Eros, but my new Omnipod 5 is being delivered to me this week.
If you don’t mind me asking, how long did your insurance coverage check take? I can’t wait to get on the Omnipod 5.
Warranty up in November going on Tandem with Medicare they go. One year past normal warranty. Would have been 4 years having to wait to 5. Will be happy to change from 630g.
Using Omnipod Dash but with Loop-Dev for control.
I use Omnipod, probably the original model, as I have been using Omnipod for many years. I am looking to get on the Omnipod 5 system but the insurance check has been going on since May and I am still waiting to hear something (extremely frustrating).
Hi Elysse, I am also waiting to get approved to go from DASH to Omnipod 5. I have been denied and my appeal denied. Very frustrating! They won’t tell me what needs to be in place for me to upgrade to this improved technology. Omnipod tells me my warranty is up on the DASH Aug 30 of this year, so I am going to try again. Good luck to you!
It is reasonable to call and check the status of the prior approval once per day. Since it has been so long request evidence that the PA request was submitted, for example a copy of the request and the fax confirmation sheet that says it was received. Many insurance plans state a maximum review time for PA requests. Medicare also has maximums.
In reply to Elysse’s question “how long did my insurance coverage check take” there are two parts to this answer. In theory, my HMO covers 100% of my durible medical supplies. So with all of my prior pumps it never cost me extra. (But I am only allowed a new pump every 4 years.) This held true with the old Omnipod. Once they switched to the Dash, I couldn’t get my insurance to cover it. It turned out that Omnipod (or they say ‘the FDA’ requires them to call the pods as a pharmaceutical device because you just throw them away after 3 days (or fewer). It took my insurance company over two years to work that out. (I would always argue we don’t throw the PDM away, just the pod which is only the vessel to hold the insulin. This would be akin to the syringe, which the insurance also covers as a durible medical device.)
Anyway, now that my HMO will allow the Omnipod 5 to be covered as a Tier 1 formulary, I get to pay the premium co-pay price to get my pods.
But even this year when my insurance announced they would cover the Omnipod 5, it still took me several months to go through the hoops. It’s painfully slow, but I kept calling everyone (insurance, my doctor, the manufacturer, and my physicians group) and kept rattling their cages. It moves at the speed of trees.
Started using the Tandem t:slim X2 in May, 2020 after two years with an Animas Vibe. The Control IQ app. has made a tremendous difference in my ability to manage daily life.
Scheduled to start on the Tandem tslim:x2 in two days.
Tandem t:slim x2. Best pump. Last week I upgraded the software to bolus from I-Phone and it works like a charm. There are changes that I’d like to see happening but the fact that you can upgrade on line and don’t have to wait for your next pump to get new features it’s a fantastic advantage.
Medtronic 780G.
I just have the original Omnipod. My insurance won’t cover Dash or 5.
I would love to go on the Tandem AID system but I have concerns about insertion sites. I have lipoatrophy which makes using a lot of my stomach not possible.
I’ve been meaning to look into this for a long time… will need to get to it soon! 🙂
I get lipoatrophy occasionally but not usually. There are so many sites that can be used besides the stomach if that helps you at all. I use the Tru-steel infusion set with my Tandem-slim 2x AID system.
Thank you, AnitaS!
I appreciate your reply. 🙂
The Tru-steel sounds like it could be right up my alley. I haven’t used my stomach in years because the lipoatrophy just won’t go away. Many, many years ago, I even used an experimental compounded cream, but that didn’t work to get rid of it, unfortunately.
I was worried that using a tubed pump would be difficult given that I would have trouble using a prime location.
The investigation into solutions will continue!! 🙂
I am just super interested in the Tandem information!
Thank you.
So glad some one mentioned the polarized (I had no idea that’s what it’s called) cable on the charger of Tandem t:slim. It drives me crazy and is my only negative against this pump.
Other: Paradigm 723. Yup, the old pager-style thing. Tried the 670G and it soured me on AID pumps in general, and my dumb but reliable 723 + Dexcom 6 seems quite satisfactory by comparison.
I Loop with my old 522 Medtronic.
If I could have afforded a pump, I would have been using long ago. Just too expensive. I probably should have whined, bitched, complained, yelled, cried and begged. Instead I just meekly passively accepted, the “No, you don’t qualify” and the “No, we don’t cover those costs.” From the wealth of info I’ve learned on this site, I’d probably be happy with the Tandem or the Omnipod.
FreeAPS X with Eros & G6
Medtronic 530g