Ok so I live in New Jersey and have a job that supplies me with health insurance. Therefore I can easily buy my test strips for about $20. However, the reason I'm writing is concerning my Mother. She is also a diabetic and doesn't have a job that supplies her with health insurance. Her doctor has been supplying her with insulin however she has to pay for the test strips. Well, my Mom doesn't make that much money and has alot of expenses so for a while she wouldn't buy her test strips and as a result would end up DKA and in the hospital numerous times. Therefore, about a year or so ago I told her that I would buy them for her if she couldn't afford to because I didn't want to see her in the hospital anymore. Well unfortunately recently I've had quite a few extra expenses and its becoming difficult for me to afford the extra $110 a month to pay for her strips. However, I really don't want to tell her that I can't buy them because then I know that she will not buy them and will end up in the hospital. Does anyone know of any programs that would help my Mom with getting her test strips at less of a cost??? Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Have you tried Ebay? Our health coverage doesn't cover the precision extra ketone strips, which cost around $60 for 10 strips; they cover the urine strips, but we prefer using the blood. Anyway, I found them on ebay (individually sealed and with the expiration date listed) for around $12.
apparently buying insulin online from canada is cheaper than buying it in the states so i would assume test strips are too. that's an option to look into. hopefully someone knows of a health program your mom can sign-up for.
When I didn't have health insurance I used Relion test strips from Wally World. The meter costs $9 and for 50 strips $20. That was the cheapest solution I could find.
Shanno
[quote user="Shanno66"]
When I didn't have health insurance I used Relion test strips from Wally World. The meter costs $9 and for 50 strips $20. That was the cheapest solution I could find.
Shanno
[/quote]
we use those when Ri runs out of the 200 she gets through the insurance every month!
Relion strips are cheap and I am convinced they are just as accurate as my Free Style meter and strips. My doctor does not approve of my testing as often as I want, so when I run out of the strips that insurance pays for, I buy my own Relion strips until the next shipment arrives.
When my son was diagnosed July 21,2010, the hospital gave us an Accu-check Aviva meter. When I opened the box it had a prescription card for test strips.. I do have insurance and my copay is $40.00. Well I registered the RX card on the Accu-check website and now I only pay $15.00 for 600 strips.. I'm not sure what meter your mom uses, but I can check my other box (they gave us 2) and see if there is another card, and I can send it to you if you like.. Just let me know.. Good Luck...
I just checked the other box, and I do have an extra card. let me know if you would like me to send it to you... Your mom would not pay over $15.00 even without insurance.. *:)
my mom like to get my off of e-bay try e-bay.
Contact the meter companies and see what kind of programs they offer. Most have reduced prescription programs if you meet their income limits. She might have to change meters to get the best offer.
because she doesn't have health coverage she should be able to get help from the manufacture company. or the American Diabetes Association.
In the new JDRF Adult Type 1 Toolkit, I remember there being resources for medicine and testing supplies for lower-income and supported individuals. I've pasted a bit below
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Medicine, supplies, and diabetes equipment Some drug companies offer pharmaceutical assistance programs. These programs are typically for people with diabetes who have little or no insurance to help offset the cost of supplies or prescription medications. The Partnership for Prescription Assistance offers a point of access to hundreds of assistance programs that have joined together to provide savings to the uninsured. To learn more about these programs, visit https://www.pparx.org or call 1-888-477-2669. Additionally, leading pharmaceutical companies have created the Together Rx Access Card to provide access to savings on prescription products. To learn more about the card, visit: www.togetherrxaccess.com or call 1-800-444-4106. Healthcare services The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) has a publication called "Financial Help for Diabetes Care," which offers information about resources that may help with medical expenses of a person with diabetes. You can view this publication online at http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/financialhelp/index.htm or order copies from the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse at 1-800-860-8747. You may also try contacting your county or town health department. It’s possible that there are local resources that don’t exist on a statewide or national level. Assistance Programs • You may obtain some meters, test strips and other diabetes supplies other people no longer need from the "Angel Network" http://www.mendosa.com/dws-free_drugs.htm • Diabetes-Meds is an advocate program that works with low-income patients on a case-by-case basis with every drug manufacturer to provide nearly every medication a patient requires for chronic illness. www.diabetesmeds.org • Free Prescription Drug Programs:www.rxassist.orgwww.freemedicinefoundation.comwww.needymeds.comwww.ncsl.org/programs/health/drugaid.htm
Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I'm am looking into all the options to see which one will be most cost effective for my Mom. Thanks so much!!!
you could also see if you could get your endo/cde/dr to write a script for 2x the number of strips you need, and then for the same copay, you'd get strips for you and your mom.
Hi Amy,
I have found an online pharmacy that deals with diabetes supplies and for the most part I think the supplies are cheaper. I don't know what test strips your mom is using but they might be able to assist her.
Here is the link for the pharmacy http://www.diabetesexpress.ca/
Hope that they can help.