Top Ways to Save Money & Get Free Diabetes Supplies
Diabetes can be one of the most expensive health conditions to manage and treat, as it is a chronic disease that often requires multiple medications, medical equipment, diabetes supplies and costly expenditures for lifestyle modifications. According to the National Institutes of Health, the average annual cost of medical treatment for a person with diabetes was $19,736 in 2022. $12,022 of that was directly attributable to treating diabetes itself. People with diabetes often suffer multiple diseases, and health complications, which is why $1 out of every $4 dollars spent on healthcare was spent on someone with diabetes. What does that mean for a person with diabetes? It means the expense to manage diabetes can be overwhelming and cost prohibitive.
Diabetes Advocates has found ways to save money while managing diabetes. In some cases, there are benefits linked to insurance coverage, that patients under utilize and may not even know about. In other cases, there are benefits and programs that are available to people without insurance or not tied to insurance whatsoever.
Continuous Glucose Monitors:
Also known as a “CGM” for short, is an electronic device that monitors a person's blood sugar level continuously throughout the day and night. The advantage is that a person using a CGM no longer needs to prick their finger, draw blood and test their blood sugar levels multiple times each day. Not only is it a less painful and intrusive option for the patient, but it allows for an integrated system that give more consistent readings and tie into insulin pumps. The retail price of a Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitor, from Abbott, or Dexcom G7 CGM ranges from approximately $100 - $150 for the monitor itself. Keep in mind that these systems require sensor replacements every few months. For people injecting insulin at least once a day, or using an insulin pump, most insurance companies (including Medicare) will cover a CGM at little to no out of pocket cost. This is a tremendous insurance benefit for those that know it’s there. Typically the continuous glucose monitor prescription can be obtained from your health care provider, but the medical equipment itself is provided by a durable medical equipment company.Insulin:
According to the American Diabetes Association, 8.4 million Americans rely on daily insulin to control their diabetes. For an insulin dependent person insulin can be a burdensome expense. It is not optional, as insulin insufficiency can lead to live threatening health complications. Sometimes people with diabetes must choose between buying insulin and other important living expenses. While public and political pressure has nudged pharmaceutical companies to reduce their insulin prices, the cost can still be prohibitive. In response, the major manufactures of insulin in the USA such as Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi have enhanced their patient assistance programs for people with diabetes.Eli Lilly – It enhanced is Insulin Value Program in 2023 and now caps the out of pocket expense for patients using its insulin at $35 per month. This is true of people with commercial insurance or without insurance. In order to take advantage of this program, visit the Eli Lilly website and download the Insulin Value Program savings card. The main qualifier is that you must be a U.S. resident. For those that can’t afford $35 per month there are the additional options of donated insulin at select clinics nationwide or the Lily Cares Foundation which provides free insulin to eligible patients.
Sanofi – Sanofi offers a few different programs to make its insulin more accessible to qualified patents. First, the Sanofi Patient Connection provides free medication low and middle income patients. Furthermore, if someone has already applied to the Sanofi Patient Connection and need medication immediately, their Patient Assistance Program can provide a one time 30 day supply at no cost via their Sanofi Temporary Access Program. Call 1-888-847-4877 for more information.
Additionally, Sanofi offers the Insulins Valyou Savings Program, which allows uninsured patients access to Sanofi insulins (Lantus/Insulin Glargine U-100, Toujeo, Admelog, and Apidra) for a fixed price of $35 per month. Beyond this, patients with commercial insurance may qualify for a discount prescription card, which limits out-of-pocket co pay costs to $35 for many patients. Medications including Adlyxin, Apidra, Lantus/Insulin Glargine, Toujeo, and Soliqua 100/33 are covered under this program.
Novo Nordisk – In 2023, Novo Nordisk rolled out new patient programs and enhancements to existing programs, to make diabetic medications and insulins more affordable. Their Patient Assistance Program was improved to provide a 90 day supply of insulin at no charge to patients meeting specific criteria. As part of this, the minimum $1000 spend for medicine was no longer a requirement to qualify for the free 90 day supply. Novo Nordisk also rolled out the My$99Insulin program. This program allows a patient to receive two packs or three vials FlexPen®/FlexTouch®/PenFill® pens, of any combination of Novo Nordisk insulins for just $99. In addition, Novo Nordisk offers a Copay Savings Card that helps patients with commercial insurance, but high out of pocket deductibles or copays, the opportunity to pay just $5 per 30-day supply of Tresiba® (maximum savings of $150 per 30-day supply) and/or $25 per 30-day supply of Novolog® (maximum savings up to $100 per 30-day supply) for up to 2 years.
Glucometers:
Glucose meters are small handheld devices that measure a person’s blood glucose level by reading blood samples taken from a finger prick and placed on to a test strip. Many people with diabetes still use these, as they are fast, relatively inexpensive and proven. However, there is still a cost associated with them and their test strips are an ongoing expense. The leading providers of glucometers are Accuchek, One-Touch, Abbott and Contour Next. Accucheck and One-Touch offer free glucometers to patients by visiting their website and submitting a request. Abbott’s Freestyle glucometers are available at no cost to people who register for their “Freestyle Promise Program”. While the Contour Next glucometer is only available to people with commercial insurance. Please visit each manufacturers website for information on how to register for their programs or request free glucometers.Sell Your Test Strips:
Some people with diabetes have found an innovative to not only save money, but actually earn some cash from their condition. For those that have unused test strips [that are used with glucometers] there is a secondary market for their surplus supplies. This means that some businesses, in this cottage industry, will pay people with diabetes to send their unused, unopened test strips in and get paid for their unwanted supplies. The business in turn sells those test strips at a discount, compared to retail prices, to other people with diabetes that use them This is totally legally and done by tens of thousands of people with diabetes.Buy Test Strips from the Secondary Market:
For those patients that do use test strips, they can cost anywhere from .40 - .70 per strip in the drug store. This can add up very fast if you are checking your insulin, and using test strips, multiple times per day. So a way to save money, without compromising your daily diabetes management is to buy discounted test strips from resellers that are aggregating them from other people with diabetes who have excess supplies on hand.American Diabetes Association:
This is the preeminent diabetic patient advocacy group in the USA and it aligns with the Patient Assistance Network to help people who can’t afford copays, but do have insurance, through grants of up to $1.5000 each year. These grants are intended to help low income households address financial gaps in medical expenses.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases:
As part of the National Institutes of Health, they have a breadth of information about diabetic patients in need of financial assistance to help manage their disease.While diabetes management can be costly, there are ways to minimize the burden and get the supplies you need. You should never have to choose between healthcare and other necessities. If you feel like you are not able to afford the medicine and supplies you need, please talk with your health care provider as soon as possible because they may have additional resources, suggestions, discounts and samples.