Today I was checking my bg and putting the blood on a test strip that proceeded to error out. Frustrating, right? Frustrating for one, because your insurance only covers a certain # of these precious gems per month, and for two, because these babies equate to $1.34 per test strip. Ouch. I began to wonder, how much does my diabetes actually cost me per day? Has anyone ever sat down and done the math for themselves?
So tonight I decided to figure it out. I am doing the math for a typical day; not a day when your bg sucks and requires you to test more times than normal. This is the out-of-pocket cost, before insurance.
PER DAY:
Test strips= $1.34 each x 9 tests per day = $12.06
Insulin (Novolog) Vial (1 vial)= $179.99 (cost obtained from call to Walgreens) / 30 days = $6.00
Lancets (I use a new one each time)= $0.18 each x 9 tests per day = $1.62
Omnipod pod refills= $450 per month for 10 (each worn for 3 days) / 30 days = $15.00
Dexcom refills= Looking at my invoice, it states 3- 4pks (or 3 months' worths) list price is $460.00. That's 12 sensors for $460.00. So, it comes out to be $38.33 per sensor, worn for 1 week each, = $5.48 per day. Follow me?
So, NOT including other diabetes necessities that I use- Unisolve, glucose tabs, alcohol swabs, and Kleenexes to dab my finger tips, this is a day's estimated total:
$40.16 per day.
Holy shiz, that's a lot of money. I have insurance, but like many others I have a high deductible that I must meet before my coverage kicks in. So I do end up paying these prices for a period of time at the beginning of every year until my deductible and out of pocket maximums are met.
Has anyone else calculated their costs? If so, what is your total?
And all of that doesn't include food that you use, especially dealing with celiac, etc.
ReplyDeleteExpensive stuff, man. Expensive stuff.
What a fantastic post! It sounds like you and I use very similar supplies each day (minus the OmniPod). This is probably one of many reasons I am cheap and think very carefully before buying something.
ReplyDeleteThat must be a pain in the butt changing your lancet for each test. I must admit, sometimes I go months without changing it. Like yourself, I would be up a creek without insurance. It's probably one reason I take an extra second at my job before I say or do anything.
ReplyDeleteThe cost of your Dexcom supplies is what surprised me. That's a lot. But it's all way too expensive. How much does a company need to make on this stuff? Thanks for doing the math.
ReplyDeleteHow much is your deductible?
ReplyDeleteI have a $3000 deductible.
DeleteThat is why I have to work just to pay my medical bills; my insurance doesn't cover the cost 100% even when deductible is met. I owe lots of money to omnipod, dexcom and my 3 months supplier pharmacy.
ReplyDeleteWhat is worst is that one of the companies above won't ship any more supplies until balance is under 1k and they want to pay C.O.D. before shipping.