I have a question in regards to resources to obtain a CGM. Right now I have insurance through United Health Care. However the route I would have to take with them is not one I can do financially. I talked to the provider, Edgepark, and Dexcom… United told me that I would have to pay approx. $487 for receiver then pay $590 mo. for supplies for the dexcom. Then after I meet my $2500 deductible they would cover 70%.
Is there any other resources or assistance that I could utilize for this? I really need a CGM as I have had many chronic lows under 30 in the middle of the night recently. Over all I am just tired of always trying to anticipate my trend… I manage well with being hyper vigilant to the best of my abilities… Anyways any help in regards to my inquiry are most appreciated.
Thank you
Hi Katie @spiritualokie, I can understand the situation you are in - I was in your situation too with United Health until Medicare decided it was time to move into modern-times.
You may be able to find an assistance program sponsored by your State, and possibly get some support directly from DexCom; I don’t know, but I expect others here will jump in with better ideas.
But more basically than that, it is my humble opinion [and I’m not a medical doctor] that you should now be intensively looking at adjusting your insulin doses and timing - taking LESS insulin in evenings and early morning hours. I might be able to offer an outline for evaluating your situation, based on my many decades of living with my diabetes, if I knew your current insulin protocol.
Hi @spiritualokie, to add to @Dennis great comments, I use my company’s FSA program to Help defray the cost of my deductible. If you are employed, maybe the company has a FSA or can start a program.
I still pay my deductible but it gets paid by pretax money if it’s FSA. Still quite a lot, but it hurts less than after tax dollars.
I just got off the phone with Medtronic and they basically told me to shove-off when I asked how to reduce my deductible cost. It’s a nice world we’re in ya?
@Dennis Thank you for your response I will look into my state’s offerings. I currently live in Texas so will see what they have? I have been diabetic since 2004 and manage pretty well but it doesn’t come with out constantly analyzing. Which I know is part of it… however I can count on one hand the times I have ever gone that low. I just had a horrendous rebound day after a low of 26 I had the other night then rebounded to over 500. The next day I had to sleep all day because my body just exhausted itself. Yesterday still had some fatigue but today is better thank goodness.My typical blood sugar runs between 100-180 I test often, eat consciously, and get in exercise as much as I can to manage. The CGM would help eliminate a lot of stress and also allow loved ones around me to always know where my blood sugar is at as to lessen their stress level as well. Thank you again for your helpful response I appreciate you taking the time to help.
@joe thank you so much! I actually forgot about the FASA I will have to check into that as well.
Agreed the games and hoops that we have to jump through just to get the things we need to live are grotesque. Glad we have each other to help fill in the gaps where health care fails us.
I know what you mean, Katie @spiritualokie by constantly analyzing; as I write here, my pump is pluged into the computer uploading my CGM and insulin data so I can review and analyze. Dexcom Clarity is an awesome tool.
Recovering from a low gives me a completely “drained” feeling, and the high 500 I was what once when EMS removed my pump and attached two ampules [bags] of D50 IV - my BG was 10. I never passed out from a hypo until I was into almost 60 years living with diabetes - thanks to my wife of more than a half century who was very observant.
My Dexcom G5, and now G6 has greatly improved my diabetes management; I had tried another about the time of your diagnosis which never worked correctly, and didn’t try another another CGM until 2018.
Omg 10!!! That is insane!! Happy to hear that the CGM data has proven useful in your management. With out a CGM as you already know you become a very skilled mathematician/ scientist. I have a pretty steady level of anxiety because I am always trying to anticipate what level of activity something will have, when is the last time I ate, what hormones are potentially at play etc etc I consider all the variables and the state they are played. Because of this my diabetes is pretty well managed. However even just being on average a little higher lower than someone with out diabetes has its effects. Physically, mentally everything seems so effortful… I push myself to do everything even in good control of my diabetes. My goal is to have more efficiency of control, and ultimately an improvement on quality of life.
Hi @spiritualokie and welcome to the forum. There’s an app called Goodrx that will give prices at pharmacies in your area, which can vary quite a bit. A pack of 3 G6 sensors in my area (DC) is around $250; she for the transmitter, which should last several weeks although I’m not sure how many. There is also the Freestyle Libre “air quote CGM”. I use the quotes because it does not have alarms, which some of us rely on - and you have to swipe the sensor periodically to get readings. It’s not a bad device actually - I’ve used it a couple of times and really liked it. But lack of low alerts particularly, was a deal breaker for me. Two meters, which last 14 days each, are about $120, again in my area. I know you shared your night time lows, in which case a Dexcom would be ideal - but if you make adjustments to your evening disagree as Dennis suggested it could be helpful if not ideal. You could set an alarm (or a couple) so you could swipe overnight. Again not ideal but…
Wishing you the best.