I am so discouraged today. Had my follow up at Joslin last night and my A1C is up to 8 and my numbers are not controlled.
Again my doctor talked to me about getting the G6 but we have run the numbers 3 times now over the last year and my cost is $100 a month. Even though I work for a living I just don’t have that kind of expendable cash each month!
I tried Dexcom to see if they have a prescription savings but they said no.
Does anyone know of any resources out there that might be able to help? Again keep in mind because I have an income I don’t usually qualify but maybe someone might have some information for me.
@janeo8760 hi Jane, it’s a tough spot when you make too much for help but not enough to afford it outright.
I don’t have a solution to your problem but I can offer that with enough testing and a lower carb diet I was able to do 6.9 to 7.5% and that was before CGM were invented so I know it’s possible.
You can get a medical CGM where you wear it for X days and it’s download at your Endo’s office. That one gets covered the same way a blood test gets covered.
For some people, the CGM is fabulous, but not for everyone. You could always wear it for limited timeframes and reduce your monthly to half or 1/3 if you skip months or wear for 1 of 3 months.
Not the answers you were looking for-I know and I’m sorry for that.
Hi Jane @janeo8760 , a CGM, like a pump, is not the ultimate solution to excellent diabetes management. The major benefit of a CGM is being able to see how your BGL [Body Glucose Level] travels through out the day, how quickly your insulin acts and how certain foods affect you.
I had significantly lower HbA1c readings BEFORE I began using a Dexcom; the benefit I’ve received with the G5 sensor is lowering my standard deviation and CV percentages - which in my eyes are more important statistics than A1c. Oh, BTW, I didn’t get my CGM until my 62nd year of living with diabetes and for years kept my HbA1c between 5.9 and 6.1.
Have you priced Freestyle Libre? It’s not an interoperable CGM - you have to scan it each time you want a reading, but it might help you get to the next stage. I would also suggest eating a low carb diet, being consistent with diet and exercise, and testing more often if you can’t get a CGM.
Hi there. You may want to check with your insurance plan to see if they cover Dexcom supplies as a pharmacy benefit. This is a newer process for Dexcom. They won’t do the benefits investigation for you to see if this is an option. Sometimes getting it through pharmacy is cheaper than through DME. My experience is that the local pharmacy says they can order supplies but when it comes down to billing insurance, it won’t work. Mail order pharmacy knows how to get this worked out already.
Hi Janeo8760, I am frustrated as well with the cost, but more with Dexcom’s suppliers. Before I spent the $1500.00 out of pocket to start, I was told with my insurance that it would run me $120.00 a month until my deductible for the year was met, so even though this was a stretch for me financially I decided to invest in my health. I went ahead and forked over the money and I was informed yesterday that it will actually cost me $352.00 a month! I wasted $1500.00 that I couldn’t necessarily afford and now I have nothing to show for it, but bitterness towards DexCom and their supplier Advanced Diabetes Supply. I have heard good things about Freestyle Libre and that is much more affordable, the downside is that there is a delay of about 20 minutes for accurate readings. You could maybe check this one out.