I am having issues with keeping up with diabetes management. I just turned 26 and got kicked off my mom’s insurance. I can’t afford the cobra and I have been applying for medicaid for the better part of a month and not getting anywhere.
Right now, I am paying $25 / vile at walmart, but I am finding the insulin doesn’t react well to my system.
I really want to go back on my inuslin pump. I have 2 spares, one is omnipod and the other is tandem.
Does anyone have any experience with getting assistance with those companies?
Also wondering which insulin company would be a better bet to reach out to?
Samantha @sjkirkpatrick, Welcome to the JDRF TypeOneNation Forum! We are happy to see you.
I know the difficulty purchasing diabetes supplies and getting good healthcare; I was there. There are a couple of suggestion guides for getting assistance with your insulin prescription. Here is the JDRF link and below I will post the ADA link.
Good luck trying these sources. And let us know how you make out. The insulin you get at Walmart does work, I used those types for decades, but the newer and more expensive insulin will work faster and often provide better results.
Samantha @sjkirkpatrick, Beyond Type 1 offers this advice for getting insulin; some of these sources may apply to you.
I know I’m swamping you with reading material - but there are people/organizations who understand and will help you - it will require a lot of work on your part.
In another thread, someone had mentioned that there were employers who offered decent health insurance to part-time employees, Starbucks and a few others I think. Otherwise, have you looked at the healthcare marketplace in your state for low cost or subsidized options? Depending on your income they should be cheaper than normal.
Ive been paying for Cobra for the past 2 months, at $540 a month. But my pump supplies and insulin run over $2000 a month out of pocket, so the insurance is actually very cheap if you look at it from the perspective of saving me 3 times its cost. As a diabetic, you’re almost sure to get more out of insurance than you put in, as long as you dont have a crazy deductible.
Almost the same situation here, but 15 years older. The state says a permanent lifelong medical condition is not a disability. Working in New Jersey (the most expensive State in America and most highly taxed) makes you ineligible for Medicaid coverage. And Tresiba/Novo Nordisk offers ZERO help without insurance(!?). So the State is a 'Siamese Twin" connected to capitalism. Everybody from the transnational corps to the Feds and State have one common sentiment for Diabetics with no money - Drop Dead.
Novolin is very difficult to live/work with because it’s highs/lows are so unstable. This is the same company that produces the $25 insulin at Walmart as the $600 Tresiba, by the way - so mega-capitalism is ‘eating it’s own tail’. And not to black-pill everyone but being realistic, I don’t see anything changing positively for working-class people trying to keep their heads above water/avoiding complications