Ways to Help Lower Diabetes Medication and Supply Costs

Managing a chronic illness like diabetes can be expensive, which may present a problem for you or someone you know dealing with the disease. A survey conducted by Gallup found that in 2022, 38% of Americans reported that they or a family member postponed medical treatment due to cost. [1]

Gallup has tracked Americans’ self-reports of delaying medical care since 2001 in its Health and Healthcare poll. The 2022 figure is the highest by five points since Gallup began its polling. It also shows the sharpest year-to-year increase to date at 12% from 2021. [2]

Delaying medical treatment or not being able to manage diabetes properly due to the cost of diabetes medication and supplies raises the risk of complications – heart disease, kidney failure, diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy among them. These other health issues affect quality of life and health outcomes and can significantly affect medical bills.

Explore help with diabetes medication costs

Here are things you can do to help manage the cost of diabetes medication:

Ask about generic options: Talk to your healthcare team about the possibility of switching your prescribed medication to a lower cost option – a generic - that would work as well and would also be covered by your insurance.

In addition to opting for generic lower-cost diabetes mediations, occasionally it is less expensive to buy a larger dosage of a pill and cut it in half. You want to check with your doctor and/or pharmacist to see if that is possible. If so, your doctor can revise your prescription.[3]

Also check to see if your doctor can provide free samples of medications, as well as supplies, such as needle tips and lancets, which they have received from manufacturers and drug companies. [4]

Check for pharmaceutical company co-pays coupons: Available through pharmaceutical company websites, co-pay savings or coupons can help offset diabetes medication costs and save you out-of-pocket fees. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about co-pay savings coupons.

Explore patient assistance programs: Talk to your pharmacy or health care team about drug assistance programs. Diabetes financial assistance drug programs for diabetes offered by some pharmaceutical companies, state programs and nonprofits offer free or low-cost medications if you do not have insurance or are underinsured and cannot afford the medications you need.  The programs have requirements for eligibility.

Organizations to check to help find diabetes medications for free or lower costs, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), include: [5]

·         BenefitsCheckUp.org - connects millions of older adults and people with disabilities with benefits programs that can help pay for health care, medicine, food, utilities, and more. https://benefitscheckup.org/

·         NeedyMeds.org – lists programs that help pay for medicines and supplies. https://www.needymeds.org/

·         Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPARk.org)- source for looking for medicines for free or low cost for people without insurance coverage for prescriptions. https://www.helpingpatients.org/

·         RxAssist.org – provides information about free and low-cost medicine programs and other ways to manage medication costs.

·         Rx Outreach - a nonprofit, mail-order pharmacy that provides affordable medicine to people in need through its website https://rxoutreach.org/

The ADA also has resources:[6]

·         To help pay for insulin, check out insulinhelp.org

·         You can find local resources for medical care, advocacy, mental health care and more at https://diabetes.findhelp.com/

·         Look for health insurance aid at https://diabetes.org/tools-resources/health-insurance-support

Diabetes financial assistance for devices

The cost of diabetes technologies in addition to diabetes medications also can be a problem. The ADA reports that because of the expense of blood glucose monitoring, about 31% of diabetes patients did not self-monitor glucose levels. Furthermore, an ADA study of 2595 people with diabetes found that 1 in 5 people have foregone or put off getting a pump or continuous glucose monitor (CGM), with half of them citing financial strain as the reason. [7] The following are examples of diabetes financial assistance programs for devices:

·         Insulin Pumpers Foundation: The Insulin Pumpers Foundation Pump Assistance Program was created to help overcome financial obstacles that may be a barrier to getting the best diabetes care. http://foundation.insulin-pumpers.org/

• Medtronic Patient Assistance: Medtronic offers insulin pumps, CGMs, automated insulin delivery systems and more. The company has a financial assistance program for users of their pumps to ensure they stay on their therapy.  https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/financial-support-programs

While diabetes management can be costly, there are ways and organizations as noted that may be able to help. Also talk to your healthcare team for other suggestions.

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