I agree. Your comments are helpful.
I finally heard back from my insurance company; they will not cover the G5, so I will not be able to start it at this time. My husband actually called Dexcom after we heard the insurance refusal, and he learned some interesting facts about the G5 and Medicare. The Dexcom Rep said that although Medicare has approved the FDA-approved G5, that does NOT mean they have authorized payment for it. He said that at this point, Medicare has no idea how much they will pay and which components of the G5 system they will cover, and they do not seem to be in a great hurry to make those decision. The Rep said that if I decided to go with the G5 now and self-pay, once I get covered under Medicare, Dexcom will not be able to sell me the system directly since it is covered by Medicare. However, no one currently can purchase it while under Medicare because, although the G5 is approved, Medicare has not figured out what payments they will authorize. At age 65, people are in a Catch 22 situation and will not have any access to the Dexcom G5. The Rep indicated that Dexcom is working on the situation with Medicare, but could not guarantee that it will be available to me by the time I turn 65 in 21 months. Donât you just love how bureaucracy works?
This article was published yesterday on Diabetes Mine and I feel it is pessimistic as to when G5 coverage will be established. Dexcom has been more optimistic.
This is an email that Dexcom sent about a week ago:
The text is as follows:
"Subject:Medicare Coverage Update: Dexcom G5 Mobile
Tuesday, May 23 at 2:14 PM
Dear XXXXXX:
We have a quick update regarding Medicare coverage of the Dexcom G5ÂŽ Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System. On May 18th , a Local Coverage Decision (LCD) was issued, further defining the requirements for therapeutic CGM. This is positive news and allows us to take the next step in trying to establish a supplier of the product.
We will be back in touch in the coming weeks with another update and next steps. Thank you for your patience.
If you have an immediate, critical need for G5 supplies, please contact Dexcom at 888-738-3646.
Sincerely,
Dexcom"
Thanks for sharing this article, Laddie. It clearly shows the conundrum that people who are near or on Medicare face when it comes to the G5. If people go to the Dexcom.com site, under Frequently Asked Questions, Dexcom states that they presently are âawaiting further clarification from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in order to process the Dexcom G5 Mobile for our Medicare patients. At this time, we cannot provide product and services due to a need for more clarification on the Medicare coverage criteria.â As mentioned in the article Laddie posted, this whole thing is just a mess. At this point, I will not even try to get a G5 system. My insurance will not cover it through their selected âproviderâ (Edgepark) in my policy, so I guess I will just continue to use my battered fingers for a few more years. The G5 was a nice thought, but it wonât be a part of my life in the near future.
Has anyone heard of people using the G5 to manage or, more specifically, to reverse Type 2? I have been researching this device among others, but it seems that most of the dialogue I find is in relation to Type 1 and regulating medication and such. Any insight is appreciated 
One thing I noticed was it sounds as if the âG5Xâ isnât the same as the âG5â in that you canât make treatment decisions based on the readings. It says in the manual to only use BG Monitor for treatment decisions.
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Probably the first time I have ever read a manual through lol
Ah, that makes sense! I was confused there for a minute! The G5x looks interesting. I would definitely be interested if it is smaller; and the new sensor applicator looks a lot easier to work with!
Is this going to be a late 2017 arrival? Or more like early 2018?
@CoreyHines, I met a type 2 police officer with a pump and a Dexcom AND he was type 2. He is the only type two that I have ever met with all the âbells and whistles.â He loved them! He said that his numbers were always perfect and that he felt, âtotally cured.â I was a manual injection, type 1 back then, so I thought him an interesting animal and I remember him still.
Iâve been on the Dexcom continuously since the 2nd month the first ST-3âs (their first units) shipped. Iâve experienced the same problems at times. Not suggesting that any of my âtricksâ will work for you but here are some that have worked for me:
(1) After having the sensor / transmitter inserted and operating for about 12 hours, I reset it by âStop Sensorâ and then immediately âStart Sensorâ. After the two hour wait, I calibrate again IF my blood sugar is under 200 mg/dl. Iâve never trusted the first two hour calibration after initial insertion.
(2) Review my medicines to be sure none contain the active ingredient of Tylenol (acetaminophen). Many cold remedies and many pain blockers incorporate acetaminophen. The acetaminophen makes my Dex highly inaccurate. I ask my pharmacist if it is a prescription.
(3) If I have had any episode of blood sugar above 250 mg/dl I always restart the Dex as per number 1 above, because the algorithm that Dexcom uses in my G5 seems intolerant of high blood sugars and gives me really strange readings after I have had a high. Much worse than my G4 ever was.
(4) Sometimes if I let the Dex G5 get out of range for too long (45 minutes?) I have to restart w/ recalibration to have accurate readings again. This can happen when my G5 Dex is only 10" from my receiver. (My G4 was good for 20 feet through a wall).
(5) My Dex sensors do not read well on certain parts of my body especially anywhere Iâve had my OmniPod recently.
Iâve been on insulin 59 years. I am hypoglycemic unaware. My last A1c was 6.1. I could not have done it without the Dex and a pump. But I agree the Dex and the Pod are both a hassle. For me they are worth it.
Disclosure: Not affiliated with Dexcom in any way except I bought stock immediately after getting my first ST-3.
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I have no problems with the configuration. I use the iwatch that has been a life saver.
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I had a small problem with my wifes phone getting alerts but I called Dexcom and they solved it right away. There is a new app called Dexcom Clarity that I use now that gathers all my info and sends it to my doctor.
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I find it to be 90% reliable Towards day 10 though I tend to get a bit out of whack.
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Yes.
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I do Dexcom on arms and Omnipod on waist/stomach
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I have great insurance so not muchâŚ
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I have zero complaints. I am a super fan.
Thanks so much for sharing your insights and savvy to get your G5 to help you. I am almost hypoglycemic unaware⌠I can tell itâs low at about 45. That said, I decided to return my G5. It was too unreliable and this isnât a situation that I want to take risks with regard to accuracy. It wasnât just a little off⌠it was dangerously off reporting normal when I was at 40. During that particular instance, I kept talking myself out of the possibility of having low sugar because the Dexcom reported normal. My husband looked at me and said you look low! Test yourself! So I did and my (reliable!) one-touch said 40. After that, I had a harder time trusting the G5 because in fairness, it rarely reconciled with the one-touch. The URGENT LOW warnings (despite my normal sugar readings on the one-touch) got to be especially frustrating⌠all night. Their built-in margin error renders it pretty much useless to me. (although my G5 performed far worse than their normal margin of error.) There is such a big difference with a 40 point discrepancy between it and the one-touch. Their 20 point differential can 20 above or 20 below your actual blood sugar. Thatâs a 40 range to my way of thinking⌠and too big a range once you are below 80. If the G5 reliably performed as it was described to me, Iâd love it. But, it doesnât so I sent it back. It was such a disappointment, but as long as I have managed without one, I discovered that was so much better than a constant readout of questionable info. Oh! and I never finger pricked as often as I ended up doing with the G5 to compare whether or not it was accurate. I can finger prick like before; not needing to supervise G5 accuracy. 
I am sorry to hear, 40yearsoninsulin, that the G5 did not work for you. I have dropped the idea of getting the G5 because my insurance will not pay for it now, and when I go on Medicare in 21 months, there still is no assurance that Medicare will actually cover the costs. Sad, isnât it, that once again an insurance company rather than a certified medical doctor is controlling my health care decisions?
SherryAnn,
It is almost inconceivable that Dexcom and Medicare will not have things worked out shortly.
Dexcom had not expected the Medicare coverage decision until 2018. The bump up to January of 2017 was a surprise for them and both Dexcom and the distributors are trying to work it out with Medicare.
Personally I would be shocked if Medicare approved and paid Dexcom orders are not flowing by August (this year).
Just be patient with them a few more months and let the process work.
Very sad. I fought with them for a year. Now waiting for Medicare to step up. I feel your pain.
Tim35, I sincerely hope that you are correct. I remain skeptical, however, only because as a long-time diabetic, I have heard promises of improvements (and even cures!) with unrealistic deadlines for many years. I will wait-- what choice do all of us have but to do so? If and when the G5 (or G6 or G7 by that time) becomes covered, then I will revisit the idea.
Sherry this is totally different.
No promises are being made about any sort of biological or technological breakthrough. No trials to be done. No major rulings to be made.
This is simply about waiting for the administrative and procedural issues to catch up and be worked out.
The FDA and Medicare ruling were much earlier that most people expected. That should be considered a good thing. However the reality is the early ruling did mean that companies and people were not ready for it and are now playing catch up. There is no question this is going to be worked out.
Really - This is good.
My insurance covered it 100% but you couldnât pay me to use one again. Itâs error margin made it almost pointless. It doesnât read your blood, it reads your fat really, and the numbers didnât reconcile, at least not with me. And, I never finger pricked as much a I had to trying to get the G5 to calibrate. IF it worked like they promoted it did, it would be worth it. But, it doesnât for every user. I was one of the unfortunate ones. Iâd never recommend it; so maybe itâs a blessing in disguise you wonât get your hopes up like I did. The disappointment was quite painful, actually. I so badly wanted it to work; but the G5 was unable to deliver reliable information. It is too dangerous to mess around with wrong sugar readings, in my humble opinion.
US Food & Drug Administration
Dexcom G5 Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitoring System - P120005/S041
December 20, 2016
âThis supplement expands the indications for the Dexcom G5 to allow for replacement of fingerstick blood glucose testing for diabetes treatment decisions.â
âThis device uses a small flexible metal wire (sensor) that is inserted just below the skin where it generates a small electrical signal in response to the amount of sugar that is present (interstitial glucose). This electrical signal is converted into a blood glucose reading and transmitted wirelesslyâŚâ
âThis electrical signal is converted into a blood glucoseâ
Converts to a glucose reading because it isnât a glucose reading.