We do love our pumps!!! 
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Yes, because they improve our bgās and itās a lot nicer to push buttons than to have to resort to pens or syringes. UGH on those! Did syringes from 1978 to 1996. Did some pens here and there, also. Nothing beats the convenience, and accuracy of a pump, especially for tiny doses. Going back to syringes is like going back to the dark ages.
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So how do you get your insulin if not by āstickingā yourself multiple times per day? I fail to understand your āstickingā comment, given that without a pump, you have to stick yourself far more times, with less accuracy and with less convenience.
I find it ironic that now that I am on Medicare, I can save a ton of money by choosing the more expensive way of delivery insulin (Pump) versus MDI. My guess is that someday that wonderful loophole for pumpers will be taken away, but I will appreciate it while it lasts.
Medicare reimburses the DME suppliers only a tiny amount for infusion sets and cartridges. The amount is so small that I canāt believe that suppliers make enough money to bother with us.
I donāt agree with your suspicion that Medicare will stop covering pumps. Please explain why they decided to cover them in the first place but the bean counters would now reverse their decision on that. I donāt care how much suppliers are paid, given how overpriced medical supplies are in the first place. Their profit margins arenāt my problem.
I donāt think that I suggested that Medicare will stop covering pumps.
But Medicare does not pay the suppliers much for pump supplies. Of course I have no idea what the cost to manufacture, sterilize, ship, warranty, etc. The suppliers and pump companies must be making some profit but it canāt be much when Medicare approves about $6 per infusion set. Medicare pays $4.80 of that and my supplemental pays $1.20.
oops. U meant that u are concerned they will quit covering the INSULIN for pumps. My bad. The older I get, the worse my skimming skills become. Mea culpa.
Medicare paid about $16,000 out of a roughly $250,000 bill for me for knee surgery. I think the hospital bills for the air we breathed.
I do think that amounts billed for anything are crazy and then Medicare or any insurance company pays a small fraction of that. For sure we have a convoluted healthcare system.
I had hand surgery last summer and Medicare paid the thousands of dollars of bills quickly with no issues. And then they fight and nickel and dime me on $6 infusion sets. As I said above, I think that is a supplier issue and they are always saying āMedicare regulations changedā when they wonāt supply what they supplied last quarter or what my doctor prescribes.
Iāve not been having any issues with Medicare/UHC for any supplies whatsoever. I couldnāt ask for better from them (knock on wood). Been on Medicare since 9/2015
I require an every 2-day infusion set change. When I started on Medicare in 2017, I got that in 2017. In 2018 CCS Medical refused to send me the quantity I had gotten in 2018 and was extremely unhelpful in overriding the restriction. I switched to Solara and had a hard-working rep who finally made it work and I was sent 45 infusion sets every 90 days. Then the next quarter there was a ārule changeā and they could no longer split boxes and would only send 4 boxes or 40 sets unless I paid OOP for 5 of the sets in the 5th box. The price was actually quite low but I donāt want my supplier to have my CC number. Fortunately someone gave me boxes of their unused Animas sets and I can use them with my Tandem pump by switching tubing.
Some professionals (advocates) use the term Disadvantage plans in reference to Advantage plans: Iām talking about people who actually sign you up for a plan
I agree with you. I didnt know all of this and thought I had to sign with an advantage plan. I didnt even really understand the difference till reading here. I figured whatever on medicare was automatic on the advantage. I was soooo wrong!
I resisted the idea of a pump because I didnāt like the idea of having something attached to me. However, I adjusted so fast that I donāt even remember it being a problem, just put it in my pocket or bra and forgot about it. Now it is just āmy little friendā which I also use as a watch.
Also, I read the situations where folks on Medicare have problems with number of infusion sets, or CGM sensors, that they can receive within a certain period of time. Have wondered why I have no such problems. I think it is because, although on Medicare, I donāt have a Medicare supplement because I have kept my Fed BC/BS as a secondary. It is expensive but does keep things simple, covering whatever the doctor orders (also overseas hospitals).
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Your Fed BC/BS is a supplement.
I believe she means her health insurance plan as a retiree from federal employment.
Federal retirees can retain their insurance policy after they retire.
That would be considered secondary insurance, not a Medicare supplement because no enrollment in Medicare is necessary in order to receive full benefits in her BCBS plan. Of course, anyone with social security benefits will end up getting enrolled in Part A and may still choose to enroll in Parts B and/or D- even though their retiree health plan covers most of these benefits.
The Fed BCBS plan is a full plan though- the same plan the federal employees receive (if they elect the BCBS plan). It is not a supplement.
Thanks for the clarification, Katers87.
This points up the disparity between what we pay for government employees in healthcare and what is available to us, plebeian citizens. Need I say more? 
Just a few more clarifications!!! The odds are she pays something towards her federal medical to retain it.
But thatās also why my husband left a job and took almost a 50% pay cut to work for the state for 15 years to make sure he received an added pension to social security and medical that you pay towards based on how long you work for them.
A lot of state/federal government jobs donāt pay as much as the private sector but have better benefits, itās one of the reasons to go that path. The stress of working for the government, half the time they are short staffed because of hiring freezes isnāt a wonderland. Everyone can choose to get a job with the government and get the benefits, a lot of jobs are available with minor training, (post office, DMV etc) Itās a choice to go that route. I know a few people that have done the exact same thing.
There are some more noticeable jobs I know with the state that get huge raises each year and have benefits galore because they have a strong union and generally people donāt seem to fight them getting it. But that is not your standard job with the government.
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Nope, it is a secondary. A supplement will not cover stuff that Medicare doesnāt cover, like hospitalization overseas. I was in hospital in Seoul, Korea, and my BC/BS covered it. They donāt care what Medicare will cover, if my doctor prescribes something, I get it, even if there is a problem with Medicare coverage.
So why is there so much pushback in providing adequate health care for the rest of the citizens? It seems to me that all we have to do is match what the āeliteā in government have. And why have we created an āeliteā class in this so-called democracy anyway? But I am getting off subjectā¦
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You also have another choice use a tubeless omnipod pump under part D coverage Medicare doesnāt qualify it as DME so itās not paid for under part B and since Medicare doesnāt consider it a pump the insulin is still paid for by part d too at least then the attachment is less combursome
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