Diabetes occurs when your body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or becomes Healthy Habits Will Keep Diabetes in Check. Follow a carbohydrate meal plan. …
WHERE CAN I FIND LOW COST DIABETIC SUPPLIES?
Abbott Diabetes Care Patient Assistance Program
This program assists financially disadvantaged individuals who meet certain
income criteria The Abbott Diabetes Care application can be found at
wwwrxassistorg/providers/documents/AbbottDiabetesCare_000pdf or call
866-224-8887
Bayer
Bayer offers a one time startup/upgrade from other Bayer meters kit–
CONTOUR Blood Glucose Monitoring System that includes a small number of
strips Advocates consider the price of the strips to be expensive for
individuals without health insurance
IPumporg, Inc wwwipumporg offers limited reimbursement for diabetes
medications, supplies, and insulin to persons who
qualify under their ERMA Emergency Request for Medical Assistance
program They also offer limited monthly financial assistance to
qualifying persons to help cover the cost of insulin, diabetes medications
and supplies Persons may only receive financial assistance through one
program and no more than once per year Under their REDS program
eligible persons may receive certain free diabetes and insulin pump
supplies Contact the Assistance Program Director, program-
director@ipumporg for more
information about programs currently funded
Islets of Hope wwwisletsofhopecom/diabetes/assistance-
programs/main_1html lists comprehensive assistance programs by state, as
well as international resources for other countries Includes private,
corporate, and government programs Click on Assistance Programs in
their pull-down menu Islets of hope also has a guidebook describing
assistance programs for diabetes supplies, insulin pumps, medication, etc
See http://wwwisletsofhopecom/pdf/diabetes-assistance-programspdf
Together RxAccess
This drug discount card is sponsored by 12 major pharmaceutical companies
The card is free and offers a 25-40 discount on brand-name and generic
prescription drugs as well as other prescription products, such as glucose
test strips
To qualify:
Cannot be eligible for Medicare
Cannot have prescription drug coverage public or private
Must have a household income equal to or less than
o 30,000 for a single person
o 40,000 for a family of two
o 50,000 for a family of three
o 60,000 for a family of four
o 70,000 for a family of five
Must be a legal US resident
Other prescription discount
cards
Most discount cards include diabetic testing supplies in their covered
products Be sure to compare prices for the products you need before
selecting a card For additional information on choosing a discount card
visit http://wwwrxassistorg/faqs/drug-discount-cardscfm
Discount medical supply companies/local discount stores
There are many companies advertising on the Internet The cost of supplies
can vary greatly, so you may want to ask local clinics or pharmacies for
recommendations or how to select among companies Discount chains also
offer diabetic supplies that may be competitive with mail order firms
RxConnects listserv participants have purchased supplies for 1450
exclusive of shipping for a 50 count box of test strips
INFORMATION FROM THE FDA ON THIRD PARTY TEST STRIPS
Third-party or generic glucose reagent strips are test strips developed
as a less expensive option than the strips that the manufacturer intended
the meter to be used with They are typically developed by copying the
original strips Although these strips may work on the meter listed on the
package, they could look like strips used for other meters Be sure the
test strip you use is
compatible with your glucose meter
Sometimes manufacturers change their meters and their test strips These
changes are not always communicated to the third-party strip manufacturers
This can make third-party strips incompatible with your meter without your
knowledge Differences can involve the amount, type or concentration of the
chemicals called reagents on the test strip, or the actual size and
shape of the strip itself Meters are sensitive to these features of test
strips and may not work well or consistently if they are not correct for a
meter If you are unsure whether or not a certain test strip will work with
you meter, contact the manufacturer of your glucose meter
Institutional discounts
NeedyMeds has a program to assist non-profit or government agencies with
free diabetic and over the counter medications The products provided are
new although some of packaging may be damaged The provider of the supplies
guarantees the products are in good condition and function as designed
The products are sent to clinics only
To participate clinics must be a 501c3 non-profit organization, an
educational institution, or run by a governmental agency; provide direct
services and on site
treatment to patients; and have a licensed healthcare
provider MD, DO, PA, RN, Nurse Practitioner, or pharmacist available to
receive and distribute the supplies NeedyMeds will email the clinics when
items are available Each clinic will email its request for supplies
NeedyMeds will determine which items are sent to each clinics The products
will be directly from the donors facility See
wwwneedymedscom/supplyassistance/sapintrotml
The 340B Drug Discount Program offers test strips for entities
participating in the program Only certain designated entities, such as
Federally Qualified Health Centers, Health Care for the Homeless, et al
with pharmacy services are eligible for the 340B Drug Discount Program
For more information on the program, visit:
http://wwwhrsagov/opa/introductionhtm
The Free Clinics of the Great Lakes Region offers a discounted bulk
purchasing program for test strips, Volume Rx, for free clinics For more
information visit http://wwwfcglrorg/home_framehtm
The National Association of Free Clinics offers discounted test strips for
its members For more information visit wwwnafclinicsorg
Medicare
For Medicare beneficiaries, Part D covers insulin-related supplies
such as
syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, and gauze Medical supplies such as
diabetes testing supplies including meters, test strips and lancets are
covered by Part B For a chart on diabetes related coverage visit:
http://wwwmedicarerightsorg/diabetescoveragecharthtml
OTHER SUPPLIES/MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
Where can I find colostomy supplies for the uninsured?
Contact Convatec 1-800-422-8811 or the Hollister Company at 1-800-323-
4060, which has been known to send samples on a case by case basis
Contact the United Ostomy Association of America at wwwuoaaorg or the
American Cancer Society at wwwcancerorg which may be able to put you in
touch with local suppliers
Where can I find hearing aids for the uninsured?
For assistance with hearing aids contact Hear Now, at
wwwsotheworldmayhearorg/hearnow/ They charge a small fee for processing
and might work with refurbished hearing aids Other sources are
rehabilitation services for independent living and the Lions Club
Where can I find oxygen supplies for the uninsured?
Contact a local supplier or the American Lung Association at
wwwlungusaorg or 1-800-LUNGUSA
Where
can I find sleep apnea supplies for the uninsured?
Contact the American Sleep Apnea Association at 202-293-3650 or
wwwsleepapneaorg Local support groups may have programs that can offer
assistance
Contact local sleep clinics, pulmonology practices, pharmacies that sell
medical equipment or medical equipment suppliers These entities might
donate new or used equipment eg, from a patient who has upgraded
Source:hret.org
