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How much did you spend out-of-pocket on all of your diabetes medications and supplies from the start of July through the end of September 2022?
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I live in the UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) where ALL of my diabetes medications and supplies cost me absolutely nothing. They are paid for by our NHS (National Health Service), which is financed via direct taxation of all working people.
Yea for the UK! If I had an emoji, I’d put a thumbs up.
@ Lawrence S.
Bless you, sir.
I find it ‘strange’ and infuriating that I’ve spoken to people in the United States, who are no longer with us on this Earthly plane, who’ve died because they couldn’t afford such things as insulin. I wish I’d got the ‘answers’, but some people might object that everyone is paying for a service which they wouldn’t otherwise use.
Be well, sir … and remain well.
Indeed, Mick Martin!
I wish I had answers, too.
There was a TED talk from a young woman name of Brooke Bennett who gave 14 examples of the tragic results of insulin rationing. She said that insulin costs from $3 to $6 to make, yet it can cost (in the US) about $250 to $350 per bottle.
There was another one by Connor Behr (TEDxSaltLakeCity) who said that 1 gram of gold is worth $41. 1 gram of insulin is worth $7850. He has an interesting way to fix the astronomical costs of insulin but also says a few things that are not 100% accurate. I wish I knew what year the talk was from, too.
I can’t say that the numbers they give are accurate, but if they are even close, it is just… well, awful.
In the US, we have a huge problem knowing that there are people who can’t afford or access life-saving medications.
Thank you for being infuriated by a system that is so broken!
@KarenM6,
First of all, ma’am, I apologise for my tardiness in responding to your comment. I had my COVID-19 2nd booster vaccination on Wednesday and it ‘knocked me off my feet’, which each of the COVID vaccinations I’ve received have done to me. To me, that’s strange, as actually having COVID-19 didn’t have that affect on me. š
Even if the figures offered in the TED Talks were very ‘wide of the mark’ they are still accurate enough to ‘make the point’. The cost of insulin, in particular’ in this instance is utterly ridiculous, and a country as vast as The United States is SHOULD be looking at why the medicines-producing companies are allowed to ‘get away’ with such profiteering. (I did read, a few years ago, that California was in the process of allowing local production of insulin. I’m afraid that I didn’t ‘keep up’ with the story so I don’t know if anything came of that.)
I’m afraid that my infuriation is based solely on what I know. I’ve lived, for the vast majority of my life in the UK, and even when I lived in other countries my medical coverage was paid for as I was a member of the UK Military Forces. (I will add that diabetes mellitus is one of a few chronic conditions that exist that get their prescriptions for free in the UK … I stipulate diabetes mellitus as their is another type of diabetes, diabetes insipidus, which has absolutely nothing to do with blood glucose levels, that is not covered. Apart from the few medical conditions that do get free prescriptions, the vast majority of the UK does have to pay for prescriptions, though these would be at a reduced cost of their ‘production’ cost …. or rather the price that the medicines-producing companies sell them for.)
It makes me really bitter that such a wealthy nation as The United States can’t even look after those that NEED medications and ‘seemingly’ allowing them to die.
After meeting the Part B deductible, traditional Medicare and my supplement pay for everything so I paid $0 for supplies I purchased during the third quarter of the year.
This includes paid insurance premiums. $2300
Insulin $210
Iport $90
I live in Canada so all doctor visits are covered but medications and diabetes related equipment is not. I ran my own business so I do not have any coverage. Depending on the year I spent $8-15,000/year.
$120 every 3 months for insulins. $0 for DME. Maybe $5 in smarties- my preferred correction for low blood sugar. About $5 for alcohol wipes, which Iāll sometimes use in summer for MDI.
I spent $0 on insulin and pump/CGM supplies, since I met my $3500 deductible back in March. I picked $1 to $350 to cover glucose tablets, alcohol wipes and the occasional package of glucose test strips for CGM backup.
I’m surprised at the 25% of the respondents who pay out so much. I’m not including my payouts for insurance coverages. I’m in the $1-$250 category, with $55 for 90day supply of insulin. Insurance covers my Durable Medical Equipment (tubing, cartridges, cannulas’, etc. I also paid approx. $30-$35 for a new holster to hold my pump onto my belt. The old one broke. You should also include the cost of “mandatory” doctor’s visits every three months (thanks Medicare)($45 copay).
Hi Lawrence S!
As a person who is in the “I pay way too dang much” category, maybe it will help to give an example. (?)
My insurance has an $8000 deductible. So, until I meet the $8000, I pay 100% of all supplies and doctors’ visits. Then, after that deductible is met, I pay something like 30% of all costs as long as it is approved by the insurance. If the item or doctor is non-network but approved, I pay 60% of 70% plus the 30% they never pay… (at least, I think that’s how it works. It’s complicated and math-y and I’m truly not good at math.) I can also have situations where neither the doctor nor the item is approved or network, so then I pay 100%.
I had 5 visits totaling about $1500 for a procedure that the insurance paid nothing for. I also had 3 visits where they paid about $150 for $600 in charges.
After deductibles and insurance starts paying for supplies, I still pay something like $150 for insulin for a 3 month supply. My insurance only covers a portion of my DME as long as I get the DME from an approved provider.
I haven’t included the per paycheck premium. For next year, my deductible is going up to $12,000… at that point, I’m not even sure why I use insurance.
I recognise that I am _lucky_ that my situation is one where I can afford to do all these out-of-pocket charges! But, next year might be the first year I will have to get creative or “ration” supplies or maybe not go to doctors as often as they would like.
I hope that helped and I didn’t confuse things more!!! If I’ve made your surprise worse, I really do apologize!!
KarenM6,
Thank you for taking the time to give a detailed explanation of your out-of-pocket expenses.
My comment was more of an expletive than a question. I am astounded that in our day and age, that people have to go to so much expense to stay alive. It makes me wonder how many people are not making it, and just dying without anyone noticing. What a shame for our great society.
Ah! I see (and apologize for my misunderstanding!!)… and I agree with your expletive!
I wish there could be an “Insulin Refrigerator” company that could dole out insulin or supplies to those who can’t afford it!!
Interesting that you should say that. I was thinking the same thing today. If we could only send an extra bottle of insulin, or pump supplies to a central depository that could dole it out to those in need. But, that would irritate the insurance companies, probably violate all kinds of FDA rules, and is a bit pie-in-the-sky. But, wouldn’t it be nice if no one had to worry about having the medicine they need to live?
Utterly agree! š
$788. That includes my portion for sensors, transmitters, insulin, 2- 90 day supplies of Omnipods, the intro kit for the Omnipod 5 and quarterly order of Metanx for my peripheral neuropathy. Next quarter will be $548. Wow, thatās a lot of money!!!!!
Damn Donut Hole with Medicare
I am including OTC supplements, like D3, that aren’t covered, things like Tegaderm and tape, Frio (just bought new ones), Smarties, needles (no longer require a Rx in my state, cheaper out of pocket), etc. I consider these all supplies! (I should probably include specialty foods, like monk fruit sweetener, etc. But I didn’t.)
Medicare actually covers all of my supplies.
Iām not on the ORIGINAL Medicare. Wish now that I had stayed with that instead of being lured away by a so-called advantage plan. I think Iām in the $501-$750 range and no pump, just using multiple daily injections and Dexcom 6 CGM and 1 lispro vial and one glargine vial each month. I use different syringes for each insulin type and use the syringes till the needle bends or I canāt read the dosage scale. Are you taking an RX for another extra disease you donāt really have? BBC TV reported that doctors who ādiagnoseā more disease needing more treatments have been rewarded by their for-profit employers with gifts like champagne!
Then the companies overbill Medicare to further increase profits. Humana, KP, and another were mentioned by BBC.
I take a total of 13 Medications not counting test supplies, insulin and ,my pump supplies So it can become very costly. I usually have to pick some up the beginning of the .