Comparing The Cost Of Diabetes Test Strips At Major Retailers
Where’s the best place to buy blood glucose monitor test strips over-the-counter? And which test strips are the most affordable? We took a look at the top blood sugar test strip costs at a few of the major retailers to see what the best deals are. Hands down, the ReliOn brand of test strips is the most affordable if you’re paying for test strips out-of-pockt at a meager 18 cents per strip (in a 50 count box) at Walmart and 35 cents (in a 50 count box) if you buy on Amazon. However, it’s only available at Walmart (and Amazon), so that can make it difficult if there isn’t a Walmart in your area. The next most affordable test strip is the Bayer Contour Next, which came it between 77 cents and 86 cents per strip in their 50 count boxes if you buy them at a brick-and-mortar store, or 24 cents per strip on Amazon. Lifescan’s One Touch Ultra Blue, Roche’s Accuchek Aviva, and Abbott’s Freestyle Lite came in at well over a dollar a strip at all the major pharmacy retailers, but all of them in under a dollar a strip if you buy on Amazon. Roche’s Accuchek Aviva came in as the most expensive test strip at every retailer, except Amazon, where it came in a whole 5 cents cheaper than One Touch Ultra Blue. Amazon is for the most part the most affordable place to buy your test strips out-of-pocket, unless you’re buying Walmart’s ReliOn test strips. In that case, you’re better off just driving to Walmart. Here’s the full breakdown: Walmart One Touch Ultra Blue – 50 count: $68.79 / $1.37 per strip Freestyle Lite – 50 count: $81.64 / $1.63 per strip Bayer Contour Next – 50 count: $38.88 / $.77 per strip ReliOn Prime – 50 count: $9.00 / $.18 per strip AccuChek Aviva Plus – 50 count: $82.27 / $1.64 per strip Walgreens One Touch Ultra Blue – 50 count: $79.9 Continue reading >>
Continuous Glucose Monitoring: Everything You Need To Know
Continuous glucose monitors or CGMs can be a lifesaving device for people with any type of diabetes. They continually check your blood sugar 24 hours a day and alert you you before you begin experiencing low or high blood sugar levels. They can reduce the number of times you have to check your blood sugar each day which is welcome news for everyone with diabetes! Insurance coverage is changing this year with Medicare jumping on board also, so this is the time to learn about this awesome piece of technology available to you. I know there are a lot of questions surrounding the use of continuous glucose monitoring, so we will break it all down here for you! What is a CGM and how does it work? Is it right for me? Will I still have to check my blood sugar? What choices do I have currently on the market? Will my insurance cover a CMG? How much will it cost? Can I travel and play sports with a CGM? In this article I will answer all your questions. What Is Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM)? A continuous glucose monitoring system or CGM is a system that does just what it sounds like, it monitors you glucose (blood sugar) continuously…well, every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day! You are able to see what your blood sugars are with a receiver; the data is transmitted from a sensor which is inserted right beneath your skin which is attached to a transmitter which sends the data to the receiver. Now, the newest system are even integrated with a Smartphone; with this advancement you can check your data right from your cell phone. For parents with children, this technology is peace of mind, allowing them to check their child’s blood glucose level any time-day or night. There are two different types of systems: The first is a personal continuous glucose monitoring system that you wear a Continue reading >>
How Much Does A Glucose Meter Cost?
Blood glucose meters vary tremendously. For those without insurance, a meter can cost between $8.99 and $1,150, but averages $20-$80. While all meters perform the same function, the cost depends primarily on the meter's extra features. According to the American Diabetes Association[1] the least expensive blood glucose meters often simply provide a digital display of the results. More expensive blood glucose meters can store several months of readings and can communicate with a computer so that the patient can download printable datasets to share with their physician. The most expensive blood glucose meter on the market is called the Accu-Chek Voicemate Blood Glucose Monitor[2] . This meter, which sells for just over $600 to more than $1,000, is designed for the visually impaired and offers a variety of features, including voiced instructions (which are also available in Spanish) and the ability to store numerous readings. Individuals with insurance will pay typical copays and coinsurance rates, which can range from $5 to 50 percent of the cost for the device. Blood glucose meters require the purchase of test strips, which a diabetic patient could use up to 12 times a day. Test strips are specific to the blood glucose meter and range in cost from $.35 each to $1 each, according to an article published in the Medical Laboratory Observer[3] . Individuals with insurance coverage for the test strip packages can expect to pay typical copays and coinsurance rates, which can range from $5 to $50. Lancets (small, thin needles used to puncture the skin) are required to test a patient's blood sugar, and cost between $5 and $22 per 100 lancets, depending upon the features.Some lancets have a setting for various depths of penetration. Others are thinner and sharper, which can mean l Continue reading >>
How Much Does A Glucose Monitor And Test Strips Cost?
Glucose monitors and the strips you use each time you test your blood vary widely in price. There are about 75 different kinds. Many are covered by insurance, as well as Medicare, so finding one that your doctor recommends, and that your coverage will pay for, can help you obtain one that is affordable. Glucose monitors are not very expensive; they typically retail for between $50 and $100, and you can usually get coupons that offer a substantial discount. Sometimes you can even get a monitor free from your doctor or diabetes educator or the manufacturer. The real expense is the test strips. At full retail, these typically go for about $0.75 per strip or more. Even if you're monitoring just once a day, that's $22.50 per month or $270.00 per year. Because most people benefit from frequent monitoring, at least at some point during their diabetes management, the real cost of monitoring may be substantial. We know many patients who test five or six times per day or even more; that adds up to a lot of money. For many people, the single most important question is whether their insurance plan will cover the cost of a particular meter and strips. If your insurance will pay all or a portion of the cost of a certain brand, it's probably reasonable to go with that brand. Sometimes insurance companies or diabetes suppliers have contracts with brands that aren't as desirable because the meters require a larger drop of blood (meaning you have to stick yourself more deeply), aren't as user-friendly, or don't offer high-tech bells and whistles such as the ability to download the information to a computer. In this case you can either try to persuade your insurer or the supplier to give you a better model or pay for it yourself. Check out a meter's features and tools before you make the Continue reading >>
Is Continuous Glucose Monitoring Worth It?
Continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) may not make life with diabetes any easier. But they can definitely improve health, if you can deal with the hassle and expense. So how do you know if such a system is right for you? As many readers already know, CGMS give a nearly continuous readout of glucose levels in tissue fluid, the wet stuff that oozes out when you have a scrape or a burn. To read these levels, you insert a long-lasting sensor under your skin, a process that feels similar to a needle stick. The sensor is made of material like the filters used in dialysis. It measures glucose levels and radios the results, via a connected transmitting device, to a small receiving device about the size of a pager. This sounds nice — much more information without all the needle sticks. Unfortunately, you still have to do fingertip blood checks 2–4 times a day to keep the monitor calibrated. And the information you get from the meter is only valuable if you know how to use it. Originally, CGMS was for your doctor. You got a continuous 72-hour readout of blood sugar levels, with a nice graph to go with it. If you conscientiously wrote down what you ate, your exercise, and medicines, your doctor would learn a lot about your body’s use of food and insulin. The doc could adjust insulin dosages and other aspects of your care. Then you gave the monitor back. Studies showed this treatment reduced A1C levels by 0.4% to 1.0% or so. Many people with diabetes wanted this capability for themselves, so they could regularly adjust their own treatment and self-management. Now thousands of people use CGMS continuously. But how well do they work? Advantages According to manufacturers’ data, “You can easily and discreetlyview your current glucose values continuously throughout the Continue reading >>
Cost Of Self-monitoring Of Blood Glucose In The United States Among Patients On An Insulin Regimen For Diabetes.
Abstract BACKGROUND: People with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing numerous complications, resulting in increased health care expenditures, economic burden, and higher mortality. For patients using an insulin pump or multiple insulin injections, self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is recognized as a core component of effective diabetes self-management. However, little is known about the real-world frequency and true costs associated with SMBG as a percentage of an insulin regimen in the United States. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate SMBG frequency, SMBG-related costs (including blood glucose test strips and testing supplies), and insulin therapy costs among insulin-dependent patients with diabetes and at least 1 pharmacy claim for blood glucose testing strips during a 12-month follow-up period. METHODS: A retrospective database analysis was conducted using the IMS LifeLink Health Plan Claims database to capture the frequency and costs associated with SMBG in relation to a specific insulin regimen, and SMBG expenditure compared with other treatment costs. The study employed a retrospective cohort analysis of patients with 2 or more claims for insulin between January 1, 2007, and June 30, 2009, with the first such claim representing the index date. All patients were required to have 6 months of pre-index continuous enrollment (pre-index period) and 12 months of post-index continuous enrollment (follow-up period). Patients were also required to have a diagnosis of diabetes in the pre-index period and to have no gaps of more than 90 days between consecutive insulin claims during the 360-day follow-up period. Patients without at least 1 pharmacy claim for blood glucose testing strips during the 12-month follow-up period and patients with pharmacy claims with extreme Continue reading >>
- Incidence of End-Stage Renal Disease Attributed to Diabetes Among Persons with Diagnosed Diabetes United States and Puerto Rico, 20002014
- Disparities in Diabetes Deaths Among Children and Adolescents United States, 20002014
- Medication Adherence and Improved Outcomes Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
The Cost-effectiveness Of Continuous Glucose Monitoring In Type 1 Diabetes
OBJECTIVE Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has been found to improve glucose control in type 1 diabetic patients. We estimated the cost-effectiveness of CGM versus standard glucose monitoring in type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This societal cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) was conducted in trial populations in which CGM has produced a significant glycemic benefit (A1C ≥7.0% in a cohort of adults aged ≥25 years and A1C <7.0% in a cohort of all ages). Trial data were integrated into a simulation model of type 1 diabetes complications. The main outcome was the cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. RESULTS During the trials, CGM patients experienced an immediate quality-of-life benefit (A1C ≥7.0% cohort: 0.70 quality-adjusted life-weeks [QALWs], P = 0.49; A1C <7.0% cohort: 1.39 QALWs, P = 0.04) and improved glucose control. In the long-term, CEA for the A1C ≥7.0% cohort, CGM was projected to reduce the lifetime probability of microvascular complications; the average gain in QALYs was 0.60. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was $98,679/QALY (95% CI −60,000 [fourth quadrant] to −87,000 [second quadrant]). For the A1C <7.0% cohort, the average gain in QALYs was 1.11. The ICER was $78,943/QALY (15,000 [first quadrant] to −291,000 [second quadrant]). If the benefit of CGM had been limited to the long-term effects of improved glucose control, the ICER would exceed $700,000/QALY. If test strip use had been two per day with CGM long term the ICER for CGM would improve significantly. CONCLUSIONS Long-term projections indicate that CGM is cost-effective among type 1 diabetic patients at the $100,000/QALY threshold, although considerable uncertainty surrounds these estimates. The Diabetes Control and Complication Trial (DCCT) e Continue reading >>
Tips For Cutting Costs Of Blood Glucose Test Strips
Living with diabetes blog Many of you have expressed frustration with the high cost of blood glucose testing supplies, more specifically test strips. Some of you aren't testing as frequently as recommended because of the high cost. So what can you do about it? Here are some suggestions in the United States: Check with insurance or Medicare. Your insurance or Medicare will help to cover the cost of test strips if you have a prescription. Check with them, they may have a contract with a different meter company and you may be paying more than you have to for your test strips. Check with your blood glucose meter company. Many companies have programs or discount cards to help with the cost of testing supplies. The number should be on the back of your meter. Take advantage of military services. Establish care at a veterans medical center near you. Check with your military insurance for coverage. Your cost should be minimal. Ask your store. Store chains usually have non-branded meters and testing supplies at a lower cost than the branded meter you are using. Check with social services in your area for other resources near you. Any other suggestions are welcome! Have a good week. Continue reading >>
How Does A Continuous Glucose Monitor Work?
Glucose meters are a great tool, but sometimes you need to keep a closer eye on your blood sugar levels. That's where a device called a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) can help. This FDA-approved system tracks your blood sugar levels day and night. It collects readings automatically every 5 to 15 minutes. It can help detect trends and patterns that give you and your doctor a more complete picture of your diabetes. The data can help you find ways to better manage your condition. Several devices are available for adults and children. You need a prescription from your doctor to get one. CGM measures the amount of glucose in the fluid inside your body. Different devices collect the information in different manners using tiny sensors. In some cases, the sensor is placed under the skin of your belly in a quickly and painless fashion or, it can be adhered to the back of your arm. A transmitter on the sensor then sends the information to a wireless-pager-like monitor that you can clip on your belt. The monitor displays your sugar levels at 1-, 5-, 10-, or 15-minute intervals. If your sugar drops to a dangerously low level or a high preset level, the monitor will sound an alarm. In the past, only doctors could see the readings CGM systems collected. Now anyone can use the devices as part of at-home diabetes care. You can download data on your computer, tablet, or smartphone to see patterns and trends in your sugar levels. The information can help you and your doctor make the best plan for managing your diabetes, including: The number of meals and snacks you need each day CGM doesn’t replace traditional home monitors. You’ll still need to measure your blood sugar with a regular glucose meter a few times a day to help the monitor stay accurate. Most monitors still require a f Continue reading >>
Blood Glucose Meter Buying Guide
Controlling your blood sugar, or blood glucose, level is key to managing diabetes. Accurate test results help people with diabetes adjust their diet, exercise routine, and treatment plan—which might help prevent complications and reduce the risk of seizures, kidney disease, nerve damage, and blindness. Anyone with diabetes can benefit from testing. Blood glucose monitoring can be important for those taking insulin or other diabetes medications, women with gestational diabetes (diagnosed during pregnancy), and those having difficulty controlling their diabetes. Today's blood glucose meters are smaller, faster, more accurate than older models, and come with more features. We tested dozens of models priced between $10 and $75. Use our guide to help you find the best monitor for your needs. All glucose monitors work in a similar way, but some have features and options that might better suit your specific needs. Talk with your doctor or diabetes educator about which monitor matches monitoring requirements lifestyle, and budget. Cost Don't just look at the retail price of the meters alone. What makes blood glucose monitoring expensive is the test strips, which you might use many times a day. At $18 to $184 per 100 test strips, the cost can add up to about $265 to $2,685 a year for people who test four times a day. Replacement lancets are another expense to consider. Insurance Medicare covers some diabetes-related supplies, and private insurance might cover some of the cost. See if there are certain brands of meters and test strips that insurance covers. Find out how many test strips, if any, are covered per month. Your strip coverage may depend, for example, on whether you use insulin. Automatic Coding Blood glucose meters need to be calibrated to each batch of test strips. Continue reading >>
- A Craftsman Blames His Tools: Blood Glucose Meter Accuracy & Long-Term Diabetes Control
- Postprandial Blood Glucose Is a Stronger Predictor of Cardiovascular Events Than Fasting Blood Glucose in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Particularly in Women: Lessons from the San Luigi Gonzaga Diabetes Study
- Kicking Off Diabetes Awareness Month: What Glucose Meter Is Best For Me?
How I Got My Freestyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitor
Is there any more iconic symbol for diabetes than a drop of blood on a finger? Throughout my diabetes career––yes, it’s work––piercing my finger with a lancet and placing a drop of blood on a test strip has been the constant reminder that I am tethered to a disease that is much bigger than I am. In the past, when I’ve read about continuous glucose monitors (CGM), it always sounded bulky and uncomfortable. I wasn’t eager to get one. And today people are touting the bionic pancreas as the answer to all of our dreams, but being bionic doesn’t appeal to me either. I’ve also read about contacts that Google is working on with Novartis. The contacts will use tear fluid to obtain blood sugar readings that will be wirelessly transmitted to a smart phone. When I found out how long it would be before the contacts were released, 5-10 years, I shrugged it off as another sign that my work would continue. When I first spotted the FreeStyle Libre from Abbott, my initial thought was that it looked tiny––the size of a quarter, and friendly––approachable and simple. I wanted it, but the problem then was that it was only available in Europe. (The Pro version is available in the U.S. and the company is actively working towards FDA approval for the personal version.) I decided I needed to try and get my hands on one. As I wondered who to ask for help, I read more. The meter and matching sensor aren’t labeled a CGM because you have to scan the sensor to see your numbers, rather than numbers automatically being logged and recorded. Abbott calls its device a Flash Glucose Monitoring system. They do essentially the same thing, so, whatever, I call it a CGM. The Abbott device doesn’t have an alarm. I know that not everyone knows when they’re high or low. Since I do Continue reading >>
- Abbott's Revolutionary Continuous Glucose Monitoring System, FreeStyle Libre, Now Available To Medicare Patients - Jan 4, 2018
- High rates of scanning with Abbott′s FreeStyle Libre system linked to improved glucose control in diabetes patients
- Abbott Secures Health Canada License for FreeStyle Libre System for People with Diabetes
Continuous Glucose Monitoring?
what is continuous glucose monitoring Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) technology enables you to monitor your glucose levels 24 hours a day through a sensor that sends the readings to a MiniMed® insulin pump (or your iphone – learn more). If used with the MiniMed® 640G you get the intelligence of SmartGuardTM to predict when you are approaching a low glucose level 30 minutes in advance and automatically stop insulin delivery. SmartGuardTM will automatically resume insulin delivery when your glucose levels recover1. In essence, CGM provides a more complete picture of your blood glucose levels by giving you early warnings of lows and highs that HbA1C and fingerstick testing alone cannot always identify. In fact, use of CGM has been shown to lower HbA1c levels2 and reduce the time of hypos3. HOW DOES CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING WORK? The pump, when combined with the GuardianTM 2 Link transmitter and the enhanced EnliteTM glucose sensor, wirelessly transmits readings to your MiniMed® 640G. The readings are updated every five minutes and appear on the screen in colour. These regular updates can give you a clear understanding of how your glucose levels are tracking. The glucose sensor only needs to be changed every six days. Continue reading >>
Diabetes Test Strips: How Much Do They Cost? 15 Cents Or $1.50 Each.
Summary: Diabetes test strips can cost a lot. We heard prices ranging from 15 cents a strip, to $9 for a box of 50 strips (18 cents each) up to $1.50 per strip. A little more than 60 cents a strip is not uncommon. The strips are used by diabetics to test their blood glucose. While sometimes strips are fully covered by insurance, quite often they are not, as we learned in our #PriceCheck project, crowdsourcing health care prices in California. People with diabetes wanted us to know that the high price of test strips quite often meant they were not able to consistently monitor their blood glucose. That was true both for uninsured people and insured people, who said their insurance policies often did not cover strips, or covered fewer than the doctor prescribed, or covered them with a hefty copay. The diabetes test strip price survey is part of our #PriceCheck project, crowdsourcing health care prices with our partners at KQED public radio in San Francisco and KPCC/Southern California Public Radio in Los Angeles, with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Because they are not testing their blood glucose, some people told us, they felt that they were guessing on treatment — and therefore were more likely to encounter the serious complications that diabetes can bring, like cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, eye damage (including blindness), foot damage (including amputation), skin conditions, hearing impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetes relates to the way your body uses blood sugar or glucose. If you have diabetes, either Type 1 or Type 2, you have too much glucose in your blood, and that can lead to these complications. (Here’s a great Mayo Clinic discussion of diabetes.) Diabetics commonly measure their blood glucose leve Continue reading >>
How Much Does Continuous Glucose Monitoring Cost?
back to Overview Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) cost and insurance coverage. Does that phrase make your head spin? These were hot issues in response to our last article where I asked about your experience with CGMs. Like anything we’re considering, the financial impact is a big part of the decision-making process. But because the cost depends so much on your insurance coverage, it can be confusing to find out how much you’ll end up paying. And maybe it’s just me, but I don’t like talking to my health insurance company. It feels complicated and I’m rarely confident in the information I get. Additionally, the information changes depending on when during the benefit year I call. What’s the importance of a benefit year? Typically (in the U.S.), health insurance policies are done on an annual basis, and things like deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums, which act like thresholds, are reset. You’ll usually find your cost to be lower later in the benefit year after they’ve been met (even $0 in some cases). For many, the benefit year is the same as a calendar year, so the end of the year might be a smart time to ask about your coverage again. You might be in for a pleasant surprise for the holidays! More to consider? We also have to keep in mind that each employer’s policy can be different, even with the same insurance company. So even though you and your neighbor both have health insurance from the same company, your individual coverage may be different because you work for different employers. An opportunity? But rather than thinking of all this complexity as a barrier and feeling intimidated by it, I believe it creates an opportunity to leverage companies like Dexcom. They have people whose full-time jobs are to dive into our insurance plans and uncov Continue reading >>
The Stinging Cost Of Glucose Test Strips
A number of you took the opportunity on the LifeScan "cringer" discussion here to point out how insanely expensive glucose test strips are. Bravo! There is no doubt we get gouged on these things, which cost about a dollar apiece (!) and most of us -- at least most Type 1 diabetics -- use an average of 10-12 per day. I'm crappy at math, but my Casio calculator tells me that's about $4,000/year for the strips alone. WtF? It is quite true that most glucose meter companies (literally or practically) give away their meters for free, knowing full well that we patients will become hooked on a steady supply of their proprietary test strips. According to D-industry consultant David Kliff, the actual cost of manufacturing a test strip is only about 8 to 12 cents. But the R&D, logistics, quality testing and packaging costs jack up the price. Still, the vendors make about a 60-80% profit on each box, or possibly even higher, Kliff says. Yikes! In my book, it's a slap in the face to the millions of people suffering from diabetes (and its financial burden) that the industry refuses to together to create a standard universal test strip that can be used in any meter. I'm thinking in terms of the technology industry, which created USB cables, storage disks, and CD-ROMs that consumers can use with devices from any manufacturer. But Kliff reminds me that the tech industry had a financial motive: all the vendors could sell more devices using USB and CDs, whereas pharma vendors reap their rewards from selling the strips themselves, not the testing devices. The US market for diabetic patient monitoring systems is expected to reach $9.1 Billion by 2010. Current market leader Roche Diagnostics makes a whopping $1Billion gross annual profit from its diabetes division alone, with the majority of Continue reading >>
