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Affording Treatment

Diabetes care can be expensive, from daily supplies to glucose monitoring technology to medications to clinical care visits. The good news is there are a number of ways to afford treatment when living with diabetes, whether you are navigating a health insurance plan or paying out of pocket.

We bring you tips on saving money, navigating private insurance, workplace benefits, and Medicare, in addition to information about discounts on the drugs and devices that you use.

Using your insurance company’s website, mobile app, or direct phone number can help you price a drug based on your current insurance plan coverage benefits
Abbott’s no-calibration CGM available at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens for a cash price ranging from about $36-$53/10-day sensor; get cost and prescription details...
​After a visit to your doctor, you probably received a document from your insurer called an explanation of benefits (EOB). You can often identify this document because...
Navigating health insurance can be tricky. We’ve compiled a list of the most common terms you might come across to minimize any confusion in the terminology.
As health care spending becomes an increasing concern, the cost associated with chronic disease – particularly diabetes – is becoming an important issue to consider. A...
All this talk about healthcare reform got us thinking...
In late November, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (the federal agency that administers the two public insurance programs) announced that Medicare would...
In October 2010, Biocon, an Indian pharmaceutical company, and Pfizer partnered to develop and market biosimilar insulin analogs (see NewNowNext in diaTribe #26). A...
Kerri Morrone Sparling reflects on the true meaning of ‘need’ in the global diabetes community…
On August 17, the FDA approved Mylan’s new generic versions of Actos (pioglitazone), a once-daily oral tablet for the treatment of type 2 diabetes originally sold by...
The past few months have seen the approval of a pair of new drugs designed to treat obesity, Arena’s Belviq (see new now next in diaTribe #44) and Vivus’ Qsymia (see new...
How can we make better use of our test strips?
Kelly on the shocking new data just released on diabetes costs and what we can do about it.
Earlier this month, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the co-chairs of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH),...
On March 1, Vivus started its Save Now! program, which sets a discounted price of $75 for one 30-day supply of the company’s weight management medication Qsymia (7.5 mg...
The New York Times publishes a critical front page piece on type 1 diabetes costs and devices - what we wish they would have written.
We ask ACA expert Dr. Jack Lord all the hard questions on healthcare coverage and reimbursement.
The dangers of competitive bidding for diabetes care and what you can do. Plus, win a year’s worth of any brand of test strips!
At a recent meeting of Oregon’s Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC), the state panel recommended reducing access to test strips for people with type 2 diabetes on...
Expert Dr. Irl Hirsch’s eight tips for managing diabetes on a budget.

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