Accuracy vs cost

My prescription for a three month supply of one touch strips is $87. My local pharmacy (Publix supermarkets) has a generic brand meter for a $15 copay, one month supply. This is a third of what I’m paying now! But when I asked my pharmacist about it, she told me that brand wasn’t very accurate and I was better off with one touch.

But I’m curious to hear from people who actually use generic brand testing supplies from places like Publix. Do you find that the accuracy is that far off? Is the cost savings worth it?

I’m trying to cut costs wherever I can so I can afford to keep buying my omnipod supplies.

$87 for a three month supply is good. According to Dr. Bernstein, the Freestyle Freedom Lite is the most accurate meter available. Freestyle has a program where you only pay $15 per prescription for strips. I really like Freestyle.

I use the ibg star meter which goes into my phone making my life so much easier and I also have 3 relion brand back up meters- the test strips are $9 for 50, no rx required. It's still more than I pay for the rx bg star strips. I have done tests on each one at the same time and they are pretty close together. I have a free style freedom light but I can't remember if I had test strips for that one or if I have tried it yet.

IMHO: it's more important for many of us to be able to test often than it is for the result to be uber-accurate. Me personally, I don't care a lot if my number is 90 or 110, I just want to be sure I'm not hypo before I drive and not too high otherwise and it's important to me to be able to check often.

But there's some here who may not have to test so often, but really strongly differentiate 85 from 89 on the meter and who would never ever back away from the quest for accuracy.

I have always compared my meter numbers with the lab draws I get as part of my regular bloodwork, find they are always within 5% of each other, and am happy with meter accuracy.

My insurance company doesn't cover Freestyle at all. Can you still sign up for the program if there's zero insurance assistance available?

I've never heard of that meter before! Does your insurance pay for those strips?

Too bad I don't have an iPhone either!

Which meter/strips do you use? I'm at the point now where the difference between 85 and 89 doesn't bother me. My numbers are all over the place right now, unfortunately.

I do try to test more often, but there's a tiny voice in the back of my head saying, I can't afford this! when I have crazy days and I check my sugar 10+ times.

One touch strips were very inaccurate for me, while generic truetest work very well and cost a fraction---- high price doesn’t always make something better. I’d try the cheap ones and see if they work for you

Call the meter you like and ask if they have any “specials or coupons” . You will need to buy at a pharmacy. If you can do this ,it can lower your copay. I use the meter I love my Bayer contour USB Next.Nancy

Thanks, Nancy! I got a free Bayer Contour in the mail and I loved it! But my insurance offers 0 coverage for it,so I only used it for as long as the free vial of strips lasted. I’ll try contacting One Touch to see what they have, but I haven’t found any assistance programs with them.

Thanks, Sam! I think I’ll just have to so that. It doesn’t hurt to try and I can always go back to One Touch if things are too out of whack for me.