Not only is type 2 diabetes costly to your wellbeing, the wellness of your bank balance can also suffer from the new costs of diabetic supplies, medications, and insurance co-payments, and studies have found that the costs increase every year after your diagnosis, thanks to complications from the disease, ageing, and inflation of medical costs. However, though you’ll never get off scott-free, there are some strategies that you can implement in order to cut the costs of your diabetes care.
Firstly, getting a grip on your disease management goals can help you save a lot of money and worry in the long run. Elbert S. Huang, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago advises asking ‘What are your goals for your glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels?’ to yourself, as well as to your doctor during your appointment. Huang says that knowing why you are striving for these goals, and making sure ‘you are engaged in these decisions’ will help you save money by improving your long-term health and going to the doctors’ less often.
When it comes to medications, ask about generic versions rather than brands, as Huang says ‘Most diabetes medications are available in generic form and you should have the option of these lower-priced drugs’. When you’re at the pharmacy, ask the pharmacist (or the manufacturer of the diabetic supplies and medications you use) if a discount programme exists that you are eligible for. Huang says ‘fixed pricing’ is an example of commonly available pharmacy programmes.
Also, Huang advises working with your doctor to determine how often you must schedule test to achieve your best glucose control, as doing it more frequently than is necessary will cost you money. You might need less scheduled tests depending on whether you are on medications or not, or if you can keep you blood sugar levels under control.
However, though frequent testing means short-term costs in terms of testing strips, you might find your health and financial costs soar in the long-term if you don’t do the necessary testing: ‘Maintaining a healthy blood sugar does cost money up front for you, but it will reduce your future costs of complications of diabetes, says Huang, and you should always remember that ‘While these numbers matter, the simple fact is that if you have a healthier longer life with diabetes, you may be able to enjoy it more and that may have a value that we cannot measure.’
Comments are closed.