Question about insurance and my approval...please help :)

Diabetes Technology Insulin Pumps
1

So as I posted earlier, I'm on the OmniPod now, and I like it...when its working. Sometimes I get so frustrated when a pod errors on me I just go to shots for the rest of the day because I don't want to change my pod again. And that is causing me high blood sugar readings.

So I've had my doctor write me a note and sign the prescription for the new Animas Ping. The Animas rep said that should be okay for my insurance to approve it, because my doctor wrote the letter explaining the situation.

(Usually, with my insurance [Regence], if you have had it for less than 3 years--I got mine June 2011--its still under warranty in my insurances mind and they won't approve you for another.)

So what I'm wondering is--if they approve as everyone is telling me they hopefully will with my doctors letter--will I be able to switch back and forth? Has anyone tried this?

Ideally, I'd like to use the OmniPod in the summer and the Animas in the winter/fall/Spring time. However basically, depending on the situation, I want to switch between them spradically month by month (not daily or weekly).

Would my insurance, if they approve the Animas, still allow me to get OmniPod pod refills?

Does anyone know anymore about this they can share?

thank you!

Danielle

2

Just curious.....why do you want to switch from one to another? Perhaps after using the Animas for awhile, you won't want to go back to the Pod. I really like the Animas and I don't even use the Ping remote, I do it manually on the pump.

3

Hi – The logic behind the traditional insurance 5-year rule is that these things are very expensive. They understand that once it goes off warranty it may become unreliable, so if there’s a 5-year warranty, they expect you to use it for 5 years. The last time I gt an Animas pump it was around $5,000. You can see how expensive it would get if they gave you a new one every year. If they let you switch after a year to Animas, they will already be allowing you an exemption to the 5-year warranty logic. If you ask for Omnipod supplies as well, they may wonder why they ever let you switch to Animas in the first place, if you can still use the Omnipod. Let us know what they allow you to do. - Mike

4

At least at Animas, the warranty is four years and they state this is the insurance cycle for insulin pumps.