Hi everyone! I am a wife of a Type 1 diabetic. My husband was diagnosed at 26 years old. That was nearly 6 years ago. He is doing wonderful with his diabetes management, thanks to our access to good health insurance. The problem is the cost. When he was initially diagnosed, we were living in Vegas and I had great coverage. We had to move back to Colorado for him to take over his family's company, so we obtained group health insurance through his business. We pay a premium of about $950 per month for a family of four, co-pays are $30/$60, prescriptions $10/$35/$70, deductible is $3,000/individual with medical paid at 100% after deductive. My husband has a pump and is in the process of getting his CGM. His A1C level is great and he loves the pump, so we don't want to go back to the pens. But we pay $1800 out of pocket for medical expenses monthly!! (including premium, co-pays and his prescriptions). Now we found out that his pump will cost an additional $400 per month just for the parts, which insurance doesn't cover. We have United. Can anyone suggest other options? Any plan suggestions? There has to be some sort of relief.....
Insurance options and rates differ in each state, so ask your husband's endocrinologist or other diabetics you meet. You may also call the Barbara Davis Center for Juvenile Diabetes. They have a young adults clinic and may be able to recommend insurance providers. You may also see if Colorado has a high risk insurance pool for folks who can't get affordable insurance any other way. It's pricey, but may be less than what you're paying.
Insurance is crazy expensive for everyone right now, but especially anyone with a condition like diabetes. I work the job I do primarily because it provides good insurance. When I did contract work I couldn't afford to insure myself and did shots with Regular insulin and used generic glucose meters because they're less expensive.
T1 since 1977 Minimed pump since 2002