Hi all! In light of the current pandemic, I am very anxious to tighten my blood sugars and A1C with a CGM for the first time. Unfortunately, I was recently laid off due to COVID and am unable to afford Dexcom supplies out-of-pocket. I have explored options directly with Dexcom and the typical lower cost pharmacies like Costco and Walmart but no options seem to be affordable. Does anyone know of any other resources or options to obtain a transmitter or sensors for lower cost? Any guidance would be appreciated! Thank you!
They’ve been doing really good at growing their Medicaid coverage, but that varies by state. You could check with your state to see if you qualify for even partial assistance.
I pay out of pocket entirely because my insurance only covers CGM for children still. I get the best prices by shopping from Sam’s Club using the prescription discount with the Plus Membership. The premium membership costs $50 more than the cheapest one, but I get that back in the first Dexcom order. A box of 3 sensors costs $284 and the transmitter costs $125 for 3 months or more of use. You don’t actually need a receiver is you have a smart phone. I can usually get 30 days of use per sensor with a few restarts, if I stay in range. (I swear big glucose changes eat up more reagent and they last longer the better I’m behaved) It works out to be an average total cost of $136/month that way.
If that’s still too much, the freestyle libre might be a better choice. I have to use the G6, so I don’t actually know what the libre costs, but it’s supposedly cheaper than the Dexcom options.
Did you have a health insurance policy at work? If so, you can purchase it through COBRA.
Thank you! I will apply 
That’s super helpful! It seems I don’t qualify for medicaid and that out-of-pocket may be my only option, my plan under cobra doesn’t cover cgms either. I didn’t realize you could extend the life of a sensor like that. Thanks so much!
Thank you! I actually applied and spoke with a rep at Dexcom but since it is for existing customers and I have not already placed an order with them, I do not qualify, unfortunately. I appreciate it in any case, though!
I did/do but my plan does not cover CGMs, unfortunately. I will look into that ADA link- thank you!
A cobra plan usually covers same as what employer plan covered. If your employer plan covered dexcom. I suggest you check why cobra doesn’t.
Sorry, I should’ve clarified- my original employer-based health insurance did not cover CGMS, therefore my Cobra plan doesn’t either. While I was employed, I also wanted a CGM but decided to forgo it because of the costs, now, I have less income to afford it but am more motivate to get one/ to incur the out-of-pocket costs if I must to tighten my control given the climate.
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Might be a long shot, but many plans now cover dexcom under pharmacy, my plan did this year. Its often lower cost for both employer and individual. If you have online tool to check meds for your plan, see if dexcom is there.
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Oh crap. Thats gonna make this a mess.
I am hugely relived that you have insurance.
However, I don’t know of any resources for you other than that.
I am not optimistic. If you find something, do let everyone know.
Dexcom is great if you have great insurance, however, since 2017, many people with high deductible insurance have figured out that the freestyle libre is a great alternative to investigate. If you use it as a flash glucose system, it will probably help, however, if you need the alarms for highs and lows (cgm), you can also purchase the miaomiao1 or miaomiao2 for android, or the blucon 2 for Apple…if you buy the blucon, you’ll also want to buy 100 Sony batteries for about $30, but the miaomiao1 & 2 are rechargeable… most pharmacies will charge about $35 to $40 for 1 14 day sensor, plus the one time $100-$200 charge for the miaomiao1or2, or $230 for the blucon and 100 Sony batteries…maybe $1200ish for 1 year, where $1200 will barely get you started with a dexcom
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Just realize that what I said is an AVERAGE. I only go to Sam’s once every 3 months or so for Dex supplies, but when I do go, rhe bill is still over $400. That can be a little heart attack inducing when you’re pinching pennies. And while yes, you most definitely can extend the life of G6 sensors, I wouldn’t PLAN on the first few lasting a long time.
A CGM will provide a lot of surprising information. I suspect your initial data graphs will look like a crazy rollercoaster. I’m pretty sure all those wild swings up and down eat up the reagent, shortening sensor life. The sooner you learn to adjust your insulin, the sooner you’ll get the cost savings of long sensor life.
You’ll inevitably wind up with some premature sensor fails, too, which dexcom will replace. You get some free sensor days that way (except the cost of frustration at the bad sensor), which will help balance out the early days