Off topic - glucose test strips

[theperfessor]

I have diabetes and check my blood sugar about five times a day. When I went to Walgreens last weekend to renew my prescription - 150 test strips per month - I was told the strips I use were no longer made. The pharmacist there looked at my insurance and showed me two meters that my insurance would pay for and also calculated the co-pay cost per month for test strips for each one. The meters were in the $25-$50 range and the test strips were $35 to almost $50 out of my pocket.

Then she showed me their own brand of meter - which I bought for $9.99 and will get a full rebate on when I send in the paperwork. The test strips are a simple $15 month copay, and I don't even think my insurance is getting charged, which frees up some money in the flexible spending account my insurance has.

Turns out that Walgreens has a number of common mods and med supplies for a flat $15 month charge.

Just wanted to share what seems to be a real good deal to me. By the way, the meter - its a "True2go" - is so small it fits on the top of the test strip container as a hinged cap, kind of like a little Pez dispenser. The whole package is about the size of a 35mm film can.

Note that I have no financial or other interest in Walgreens, I'm just a satisfied customer who gets treated really well at the local Evansville West Side Walgreens every time I have a problem.

[nicholst55]

Test strips are outrageously priced as a rule. I was recently offered a 'free' meter, but test strips were most assuredly not free! I'm lucky, and get my test strips from Uncle Sam, for free, but only because I gave him the best 20 years of my life.

I can certainly commiserate with those who don't get them for free.

[theperfessor]

It's the same thing as printers. The machines are cheap, the supplies are outrageous. Just replaced my old inkjet with an HP 8100. Printer was $89, with one set of replacement cartidges the bill, with sales tax, was over $200.

[Moonie]

I have that same meter, great meter, we purchased it based on strip costs, lowest around. I get my strips online.

Interestingly we also purchased our printer based on consumables prices, printer wasn't a cheap one but ink costs are lower than average.

[runfiverun]

that ink deal is a rip.
i can usually buy a whole new printer for the same [and often less] than just the ink cartridges.

[bob208]

my doctor gave me a one touch ultramini. the strips were $1 each. changed ins company now they are free. so are the needles.

[btroj]

If you could only burn Ford as in a Ford car they would give you the car and make money on the gas.

[jcwit]

A little away from test strips, but ever check the prices for eye wear from an Optometrist and on line? I get eye wear from the VA but the lens are super thick, so I order from an on line manufacturer. Thin light weight lenses, scratch resistant, correct perscription. Cost for tri-focals? $29.99 with frames and free shipping.

[shooterg]

Thanks for the thread. I just got diagnosed as a type II and was given the "free" meter , but the test strips(not covered by my insurance) were about $1.30 per. I'm going to check out the Walgren's ASAP.

[500MAG]

If you are testing that frequently you should be checking the meter at least once a week with control solution. These meters do occasionally screw up. Take it from me, I am a Pharmacist and have seen patients end up in the hospital due to poor readings.

[Phat Man Mike]

I had to visit the hospital to take a class on giving my shot. Wow after that I get 5 or more calls a week asking about my testing supply's.

[btroj]

If you are testing that frequently you should be checking the meter at least once a week with control solution. These meters do occasionally screw up. Take it from me, I am a Pharmacist and have seen patients end up in the hospital due to poor readings.

Interesting. I haven't sold a bottle of control solution in a few years. I be most people aren't even aware that it exists. I know we don't carry it for most machines, it just sits on the shelf and outdates.

Not saying it wouldn't be done, just saying that it isn't done. Any machine can give erroneous readings.

[DIRT Farmer]

Check on all meds. My insurance has a 600.00 deductable for each of us. My copay on my med was $15 a month, buying outright for a ninty day supply was $18. Same pharmacy.

[casterofboolits]

I get my testing supplies from Walgreens too. 90 day supply for $46.00. This is for a Acu-Chek Drum fed meter. Reading this post reminded me to do my morning check.

[TRX]

The meters are like the "free" razors years ago. They're just to get you to buy the strips.

There are implantable insulin pumps. They use a sensor to monitor you insulin level contuously; no stingers or strips needed. And there's no reason it can't use RFID to call your smartphone to let you know when you need a shot, and you could have an app to calculate exactly how much insulin you need. But every time someone mentions something like that, the pharmaceutical companies squall like gelded sheep.

[375RUGER]

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but I sat in on a business seminar a few years ago.
The speaker was a venture capitalist and he told of a company (right here in Albuquerque) that invented some gadget that did some medical test with a laser or IR (i don't remember which) and the cool thing about it was this device could be modified to give very accurate blood sugar level readings and it could actually be made affordable. Part of the marketing for it was for 3rd world countries.
Sad part about it was the company went into some downward spiral for some reason by the time they discovered this blood sugar testing ability and they weren't able to recover and get a product to market.
I don't know if anyone ever did anything with it since but I thought at the time that someone should pursue it-that is a very marketable product.

[DRNurse1]

If you are testing that frequently you should be checking the meter at least once a week with control solution. These meters do occasionally screw up. Take it from me, I am a Pharmacist and have seen patients end up in the hospital due to poor readings.

Interesting thread. Among other things I provide Diabetes Education to my patients and concur with 500 MAG test often and validate your machine.

A couple of things to add too: newer machines can track your tests: useful if you also track your diet and activity.
Infrared devices are used in the operating room and some intensive care units with great success. I have not heard of a consumer version of these devices.
Unfortunately, many folks look at the cost of the test strips and conserve them. They then 'expire' or are mishandled over time and give false readings. My hospital had an event related to mishandled strips that was not pretty. I know the strips can be expensive, but if you cannot see your money (vision problems are a real outcome of poor diabetic control) or being dead from a diabetic narrowed blood vessel or kidney failure are much worse than the cost of the strips.
Didn't Ben say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? This is one of those situations.

All of you with this disease have a neat choice: you can control the onset of these mean nasties by carefully monitoring and contorl of your blood sugar levels now. I like having your input on this forum so please choose good control now over those mean nasties.

DRNurse1

[gsdelong]

Bayer - Contour Choice has a deal where they sent me a free meter and 50 strips and then I signed up with a card that you pay the first $15.00 and they pay the next $35.00 on their strips. The only issue is like hotdogs and buns they package strips in multiples of 25 and there are 30 days in the average month. My doctor said he only write the script for x times a day.

gsdelong

[gbrown]

My wife is diabetic and tests 3-4 times a day. She uses a OneTouch Ultra 2 which we check with test solution about 2X a month. We are fortunate as I am retired military and we use Xpress Scripts which cuts the costs. I don't understand a doctor, like gsdelong describes, who doesn't take into account those times when it might be necessary to check more than x times a day. Fluctuations in blood sugar can be caused by 100 different things, I don't know why it happens, it just does. My wife does a very good job of monitoring her blood sugar and staying healthy. Exercises and eats right. I have had several friends who died from complications of diabetes because they thought they could juggle insulin doses and unhealthy eating habits/lifestyles. My grandmother died of diabetes as a result of 2 surgeries back to back in 1975 at 79 because of a blister rubbed on her big toe by shoes. Diabetes is something that cannot be played with. +1 with DrNurse1 on education.

[gsdelong]

It's not my doctor it is the insurance company. For them to cover test strips I need a script. Their computer expects scripts to be x times a day for y number of days. It is really not a problem other than me trying to get the best deal.