Subject: Medicare: Cover Continuous Glucose Monitors for those who really need them.
Hi,
Unlike Medicaid and private insurance, Medicare does not cover Continuous Glucose Monitors. These would prevent awful , sometimes deadly incidents for those diabetics who do not know their sugar is low.
That's why I signed a petition to Medicare, which says:
"There are many seniors and people on SSD on Medicare with Insulin Dependent Diabetes. Some of us have severe issues with low blood sugars. These include unawareness of lows, passing out, losing entire days to insulin shock and seizures, in some cases with TIA(mini-strokes). All of the above for myself but a CGM sounds an alarm when the blood sugar begins to drop, potentially avoiding these episodes, which can result in full strokes and death. Private insurance and Medicaid will cover them, Medicare should as well."
I think that it should be "for those who want them" since, after all, the Declaration of Independence enshrines our rights to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Aim high if you are negotiating!! Thanks for the link though!
Great Idea Sue! I've been trying to Get a Insulin Pump, ever since I got On Medicare! The VA wouldn't give me for yrs..and still Won't and after going thru 3 Endo's thru medicare? Still No Luck! I have Too Good of A1'cs ( 6%) and Being a Man, I can Tolerate Injecting 6-8x a Day
And took me 5 mos and a Act of Congress to Get them to Give me a Script to Get 8 strips a Day..! Said I only need 4.. I even Just wanted to Settle for A USED ONE! And still no luck! I even wanted to But One OTC, but I can't they said, requires a Prescription..
Of course, you do Understand.. Type 1's live an ave. of 15 yrs less have alot more Problems Those last 10 yrs and only live on ave till Mid 70's So if your older? Your On OverTime in their Opinon!
and CGM's are only How Accurate? 50% ? and have to double ck with a Test meter and Strip?
And I would LOVE to have a CGM, to warn me I'm going Low? And Could Depend on it.. I wouldn't have to Test So much otherwise! and worry about Going Low, I over Bolus'd for my meal or wake Up every 3 hrs test overnite..
and the Cost for a CGM is How Much Now? $1,000 & $350 for 10 Sensors?
They think> We Old people aren't worth all that .. Just give us a Pill instead..
ObamaCare is going to be nothing more than the Old Fashion HMO plans they had and still have...
Just to clarify, this was not my petition. I had signed a petition on change.org for this, and the same person who started that petition sent me an email asking me to sign her new petition on Signon.org because she felt that it would get a better result from Medicare. I will be on Medicare in 2 1/2 years, and it scares me to think that I will be forced to give up my Dexcom and the level of control it has given me.
I digress. Get the price down and large volume and make available to anybody with diabetes so they can better manage the disease and the food input under control.
Defining who needs them is a big riot and nasty joke.
I meant to add that anybody with proper running system only needs a warning light/led. Anybody with diabetes issues can sure as hades uses a proper gauage set on the glucose and the caveman machine cannot do it all.
