@Marie20,
My doc has already accommodated me in the way you describe, I already have more than 2 years supply of Humalog squirreled away and a few months worth of Lantus, if I decide to stop using the pump.
@Laddie,
I understand what you’re saying about going without insurance, it is a concern and I haven’t decided on the exact action I’ll take yet, this job loss is still 3 months away and I’m preparing for it. I don’t want to rule out the requirement to go without insurance in today’s world so I’m exploring my options.
@Tim12,
Thanks for the info on the Walmart Relion test strips and I assume meter and the syringes.
As for COVID, I’ve already had it and completely recovered, for me it was real non-issue, amounted to fever/chills, headache, body aches, cough, nasal congestion, profound fatigue and a weird queezy stomach for 3 or 4 days.
I no longer consider that a concern.
Also remember that Lilly makes a no name Humalog that is about 1/3 as expensive as Humalog. The insulin is the same, it comes off the same line, it is simply relabeled. It is called
As some of the other’s have replied Canadian insulin is much cheaper. I’ve used Marks Marine Pharmacy and their service and prices are great. Test strips can be gotten in unlimited quantity through subscription services like Onedrop, Dario or even directly through some meter manufacturers.
Insulin syringes come with the needle attached and the half unit syringes you are wanting are (as far as I know) only made by BD so they are pricier (about $40 for 100) but you can reuse syringes until they become dull or bent. There is a product called the Novopen Echo which uses cartridges and doses in half unit increments and uses pen needles which you can get for about $10 on Amazon. The cartridges are available through Marks Marine Pharmacy.
I get Walgreens brand syringes: .3ml 31 gauge for 30 units or less. They have half unit markings. Retail price earlier this year was $17.99 for 100 syringes. They seem fine and I would not want to pay for BD syringes.
@Laddie,
Those syringes sound like what I’m looking for!
When I look at the history on my pump almost all of the boluses are 7 units or less and the fractions make a difference. It’ll definitely be a learning curve if I in fact switch away from the pump.
I received good news this morning, my current employer wants to hire me back on a contract basis next year.
This takes some pressure off the COBRA question, at least gives me more time to determine the best way forward in relation to insurance and acquiring supplies.
Thanks everyone for all the good information, it has been a big help!!!
Hate to burst any bubbles, but did you confirm with the employer that this kind of contract work includes benefits, or are you just assuming so because you’ve had them in the past?
Usually contract work means you’re self-employed and contracting to do a certain job for someone, just like hiring a handyman or a plumber. Thus they don’t include benefits. You don’t pay your plumber health insurance, but rather the self-employed have to figure out their own insurance, retirement, and whatnot…
My husband does contract pilot work, and even though it looks like a regular job working for a large corporation that schedules his flights and whatnot, at the end of the day he gets nothing from them but the paycheck.
There’s been some crackdown on employers abusing the contract thing to circumvent fair work regulations, though, so I hope I’m off base on this one!
@Robyn_H,
I know I will be self employed and am fully aware of all that entails, I’ve been there before.
The COBRA pressure is relieved only because I will have an income coming in that will be comparable to and very likely significantly exceed what I make now.
Yes, I know I’ll have to cover taxes and all the other BS my employer has been covering, but even then it’s very likely my income will increase.
I do not plan to stick with the COBRA plan any longer than I have to, I believe, maybe naively, I can find coverage that’s more appropriate for me at a better price.
The health plan my employer has been “mostly” providing is a Cadillac plan that includes coverage for all sorts of things I would exclude if I had the choice. One example is maternity care, my wife and I are in our mid 50s, we have 3 grand children and my wife had a hysterectomy 30 years ago coincident with the birth of our daughter, why in the world should I be forced to pay for anything related to maternity care??
Bottom line is it’s a very expensive plan that’s really not appropriate for where my wife and I are at in life and I believe we can find better. Maybe I’m self deluded, especially in today’s world where there is very little real choice in things.
For insulin, I’ve used Mark’s Marine Pharmacy for mail order and several years ago Discount Drug Mart (without Rx) for in person pick up.
On test strips, Contour Next strips can found with odd-ball number of strips at half the regular price. Odd-ball number apparently prevents billing of insurance.
Great news!!! It’s good to hear you still will have a job! A lot of companies are choosing to contract out what they can.
I think Cobra is usually only available for 12-36 months depending on your employer, I could be wrong about that but I think you will have to explore other options anyway…
There was a push about being able to choose maternity care at one time, but I think you are stuck paying for it whether you are a guy or aged out. If you never planned on having kids or were a man or aged out they want you to still be contributing towards maternity care for others. Plus a bunch of people end up having unplanned pregnancies and they were worried that they would not have picked to pay for it but then got pregnant and wouldn’t be covered.
Medtronic does have special pricing for people with no insurance or insurance that doesn’t cover pumps/CGMs. Not sure of the infusion set price but I think you can get a box of sensors for $60. If you do have COBRA for awhile you won’t qualify why that’s active.
