I recently discovered after a very expensive medical year for myself that I’d spent several thousand dollars on medical that I’d not met my deductible. (I’d spent about 4 times my deductuble, but hadn’t met it). The reason: my test strips and insulin don’t count towards my deductible.
In short I’m looking for some generic meters and generic test strips that I could buy over the counter. Currently I’m paying just shy of $600 for 3 months of insulin and a bit over $400 for 3 months of test strips. There’s a few things I’ve heard about, but wanted to know if the community has found better options. I would update this first post with any links that are posted. I’ve never used any of these so I can’t vouch for quality, performance,durability, etc
Has anyone been able to strike a deal with their insurance to make an exception for generic meters or test strips even through they are not covered by their plan?
Here’s what has been found:
Metrix test strips: Amazon.com
As is typical for many Amazon products, the price bounces around. It is worth to check a couple days to get an idea of the typical price range before you buy from Amazon. Alternatively, the web site camelcamelcamel dot com has Amazon price history which I find extremely helpful.
Right now the Contour Next strips are going on Amazon for about 23 cents per strip. The Contour Next One meter is on Amazon for less than $10.
Amazon, Ebay, and occasionally Craigslist are great sources for strips. I have been lucky enough to find European branded strips for many of the meters I have used on Ebay at a significantly reduced cost, MySugr also has a deal with One-drop at the moment that is worth looking at if you test frequently. If you have Costco near you, they sell at a discount many of the brands too.
Here’s a list of meter comparisons from Gary Scheiner at Integrated Diabets.
I used the Relion meter and strips from Walmart for several years (still use as a backup) before I got insurance that would cover strips. The meter is only $9 and a box of 100 strips is $17.88
I’ve compared it to my Contour meter, and they stay within a few points of each other.
I love camelcamelcamel.com! finally someone who has also heard about it. Price histories are great! Thanks for the meter recommendation. I’ll have a look and see if I can get an exception from my insurance.
