help regarding test strips

[mnmom]

Our 13 year old daughter has type 1 diabetes and was diagnosed two years ago, and my husband's crappy insurance (BC/BS of Texas) won't pay for the test strips. We are about to go bankrupt trying to pay for this. I begged for samples for months from the doctor and kept looking online for a place that could get the insurance to cover it, and finally found Access Diabetic Supplies and they must be giving the right code or something to get that insurance to cover most of it, but now Liberty took over Access and now we're back to square one. We assumed it would be the same, but we just got a bill for $400 for test strips that we can't pay and will have to beg for assistance somewhere to pay that. Help!!

[jimithy]

I understand about the high cost of test strips. I use 6 strips a day and I live on Social Security Disability as my only income. When you test a lot then expensive strips can be worse than 90% of the most expensive common brand name drugs. You do not have the luxury of not testing often. It is more expensive not to test because of hastened major medical problems brought on by poor blood sugar control.

I do not like the choice of... do we eat this month... or do I buy all the test strips I need.

Abbott Laboratories, maker of the FreeStyle meters, has a program called FreeStyle Promise. You are supposed to be able to get a free meter or meter upgrade(?) and a card that automatically slices $50 off the cost of a box of 100 strips every month at your local pharmacy. (At discount pharmacies that makes the strips about half price.)

You can read the Abbott FreeStyle Promise pamphlet at www.freestylepromise.com/pdf/ART15166_Rev-A.pdf

You can call them at 1-866-246-COVERED (1-866-246-2683) to enroll in the program.

Xubex