Does anybody know of way to get dexcom5 supplies any cheaper. Any coupons or a different company.
Any help is greatly appreciated
We get my daughters Dexcom covered at 100% by her insurance using a 3rd party company called “Direct Diabetes”
Hi Shane,
Make sure you are obtaining your Dexcom CGMS supplies with your DME benefit through your insurance, not your pharmacy benefit. DME (durable medical equipment) is a medical need for an external device to sustain your health, loosely-put, and is much more generous from our point-of-view. Your insurance company has a contract with a third-party administrator for DME, like Teressa noted, but you need to be sure the TPA you call is in network (there are a bunch out there - for instance, I use Byram Health). Let me caution you before you set out, when you ask for the DME supplier contact list from your insurance carrier, be sure to STRESS you need a TPA that handles diabetic supplies. Otherwise you’ll wind up wasting time talking to hospital bed and oxygen tank suppliers. Frustrating!
You will need a prescription, of course, but typically after you meet your medical deductible (which often differs from your pharmacy deductible), you may be able to get the supplies for next to nothing. Check to see if your pump or testing supplies are covered, too - I had one plan that covered EVERYTHING but the insulin under DME several years back. Glorydays for sure!
I hope you find success. Wishing you good health -
Good morning @wheats74 - I accidentally found this in the typeonenation website - since I suggested several ways to find coverage within your health plan, this may serve as an official resource to support or correct my statements of experience yesterday.
Type 1 Diabetes Health Insurance Guide
Best luck!
I have been using Dexcom since 2016 and with two insurers, so my experience may vary from yours. With that caveat, here is what I found:
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The annual “cash” price (without insurance) for Dexcom G5 supplies is about $5,000 per year – this is the MOST anyone should pay for Dexcom G5 supplies
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Some insurers cover CGM and Insulin Pump supplies under their Rx/Pharmacy benefit and total cost can be less using the Rx route. The Rx approach may mean smaller, more frequent supply orders. I used this approach with the insurer I had in 2016 and it cut my initial costs from $900 to $180 using a company called Foundation Care (https://www.foundcare.com) that was in-network with my insurer that time. Dexcom has a list of large insurers who allow supplies through the Rx benefit, but missed this savings because my insurer was a smaller regional company. Edgepark is another 3rd party like Foundation Care and you can ask them to check whether they are (1) in-network and (2) if so, whether your Rx benefit would be less expensive.
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One common way to save on Dexcom is to use a sensor longer than 7 days using a product like Smith & Nephew OpSite Flexifix Transparent Film (from Amazon) to extend the adhesive life.
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If available, fund a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) through an employer and use the money in the FSA to pay the co-insurance for Dexcom supplies. The tax savings are an indirect discount on Dexcom and other diabetes supplies. For example, if your family is in a 20% federal tax bracket, every $1 spent on Dexcom supplies costs just $1 instead of $1.20 ($1 + the 20% tax). A Health Savings Account (HSA) works the same way if your insurance plan qualifies as a High Deductible Health Care Plan (HDHCP).
We r all assuming u have insurance, and the answers so far look great and informative. If u do not however, ebay is a ready ‘black market’ with frequent lower prices than full retail. Still, it’s buyer beware, b/c u have to know those retail/pharmacy prices, and insurance co-pays (if u have insurance) if you want/need to save money. Often there’s no deal, but sometimes yes. I found a used, fully functional Dex receiver there reasonably priced, while others were over-priced. Good luck…hope that helps.
