As a person with diabetes, you know the strain of trying to afford a myriad of medical supplies to treat your condition each month. Insulin, test strips, lancets, and glucose tablets are only some of the supplies needed.
It is estimated that there are over 30 million Americans with diabetes and that nearly $14,000 per year per individual is spent on medical expenses to treat the disease. It’s no wonder people want to find ways to save!
Too many people with diabetes resort to limiting the number of times they test or even worse, retesting using the same strip. For people unable to afford high copays or others without insurance, it proves nearly impossible to keep up with the cost of managing a disease that already demands so much of the individual it affects. The inability to maintain a healthy lifestyle because of a lack of finances should be a thing of the past.
Luckily, there are a few ways to save.
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Four Ways to Save Money on Diabetic Test Strips:
Source: Sell Diabetic Test Strips
1. Outreach Organizations
People without insurance or with lower incomes should take advantage of organizations whose main goal is to support the unsupported. An outreach’s priority is to help you find inexpensive supplies or to connect you with programs that can help lessen the burden. There are several organizations that diabetics should check out (Google “Resources for Prescription Savings”), some which are even local. Ask your health care provider or pharmacist for suggestions.
2. Value Strips
We all know the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s the same for packaging. The name brand is not always the way to go. Oftentimes, a generic company produces materials from the same warehouse as name brands. Guess what? Same materials, different label. Don’t be fooled. Major companies such as Walmart, Target, CVS, etc. often carry store-brand meters and strips that work the same, sometimes even better.
Source: Diabetes Well Being
3. Loyalty Cards
Similar to value shopping, loyalty to a specific pharmacy can also come in handy. CVS, Target, and Walgreens, to name a few, have loyalty cards available which allow you to save each time you spend. While many of these companies don’t permit you to use your card for discounts on medications, the money you save from purchasing meds can help you save on other needed items. There are some programs, however, that seek to take special care of the diabetic. CVS offers a 4% buyback on diabetic products up to 4 times per year if you join their ExtraCare Advantage for Diabetics program.
4. Discount Online Retailers
Some online diabetic suppliers cut out all the middlemen and allow you to save over 85% compared to the pharmacy! There are several companies out there whose main goal is to offer high-quality diabetes supplies on an affordable basis. A newly-founded company that is garnering a lot of attention is a Boston-based startup called StripSupply.
StripSupply cares about the struggle people with diabetes have to go through and offers FDA-approved diabetes test strips for $9 or less. Not only that, but you do not need insurance or a prescription to order from this company. They even offer free shipping and a free glucose meter if needed. For more Info Read about sugarbalanceusa.com.
Source: Sell Diabetic Test Strips
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind when considering ways to save is that no matter where you choose to obtain your supplies, the organization should be for you and not against you. It seems obvious, but many people settle for second best simply because they don’t do their research. There are options out there to lessen a diabetic’s burden. A diabetic already deals with so much physically, no need to add a heaping financial hardship to their plate.
