When I was in college, there was a period of time that I didn’t have insurance. I was thankfully able to get insulin and supplies via Children’s Hospital where I had been a patient for years. I was really, really thankful, but before I accessed stuff through that program, I had actually started to ration out my insulin. My family would have certainly helped, but I was really determined to be an adult about things and deal with them on my own.
Also, Walmart now sells Regular and NPH insulins for just $25/bottle, which is a pretty good deal all things considered. It means that, in a pinch, I have a way to keep myself alive at a reasonably nominal cost.
The big issue for me when I lacked insurance or was later underinsured was test strips. Insulin is actually pretty easy to come by through a variety of programs, but test strips are harder, and they are really expensive (each one costs about $1.20). And without the ability to test, it’s impossible to know how much insulin to take!
I am now on the pump and, thankfully, have great health insurance. I am also very thankful that I stayed in school all those years and have a high-paying job, because my monthly copays for everything are running upwards of $400-500. Diabetes ain’t cheap!
I test five times a day. I use the Bayer’s Ascencia Breeze-2. I am lucky that my insurance pays 100% for all my testing supplies, test strips, meter, lancets, etc. as long as my doctor signs off on it. Sometimes my diabetes testing supplier will require a copy of my log sheet to see my blood glucose levels for the insurance company; but that is no problem. My niece is on the pump; and she is a raging alcoholic; she believes because she is young that she is invincible; and when she goes on one of her binges she just ups her insulin dosage. I go to a diabetes support group here in Houston at the Memorial-Hermann Hospital System; they meet the fourth Thursday of every month. I am on a first-name basis with the Nurse Diabetes Program Coordinator at Memorial-Hermann; and also with the Registered Dietitian at Memorial-Hermann. The dietitian has Type-I diabetes and she is a very young woman. Whatever you are going through - whatever your circumstances - believe me, somebody has been there before. This website is a Godsend.
Nyxks do you have a Diabetes Centre near you? I also live in Ontario and I know that they centre will help out those that can't affort to buy there supplies. check it out if you havn't already.
