Diabetes Financial Assistance

Living with diabetes can come with a lifetime of out-of-pocket expenses – from daily treatment costs to emergency care. Every diabetes diagnosis is unique, and so are the costs an individual with diabetes will take on to ensure they can live a long, happy, and active life.

In this post, learn about the overall costs associated with a diabetes diagnosis, which costs insurance may not cover, and how to start a Community-Led and medically verified diabetes fundraising campaign for extra help.

What Is the Overall Cost of Diabetes?

According to the CDC, “diabetes is the most expensive chronic condition in our nation.”

• $1 out of every $4 in US health care costs is spent on caring for people with diabetes.
• $237 billion is spent each year on direct medical costs and another $90 billion on reduced productivity.
• The total economic cost of diabetes rose 60% from 2007 to 2017.
• 61% of diabetes costs are for people 65 years or older.
• 48% to 64% of lifetime medical costs for a person with diabetes are for complications related to diabetes, such as heart disease and stroke.
• The cost of diabetes medication can vary depending on your condition. It often ranges from $700 to $4 monthly. Below is a chart of some of the most common medications for diabetes and their monthly costs.

CGMs serve as an alternate method to test blood glucose levels. The primary difference is that CGMs test continuously day and night, alerting a patient in real-time when levels are out-of-range. This can be especially helpful if blood sugar levels have been challenging to regulate. Although several systems are on the market, for the purpose of illustration, the Dexcom G6 model costs $6,000 per year, or $500 per month, without insurance. For a stable patient, insurance many deny coverage for a CGM as an unnecessary device.

In 2016, an artificial pancreas device system was first approved for use by T1D patients. This device, otherwise known “as a ‘closed loop system’ essentially combines a CGM, insulin pump, and glucose meter within one device and “closely mimics the glucose regulation function of a healthy pancreas.”

Although system costs vary depending on the type and manufacturer, there are also annual equipment and supply expenses. For example, “the Medtronic 670G system is between $7,000 to $8,000. But with insurance coverage, most patients pay just over $1,000 to initially get on the system, and then must pay for pump and CGM supplies on an ongoing basis. The annual cost of the CGM transmitter is $699, and sensors run from $50 to $75, depending on the amount purchased.”

Which Diabetes Costs May Be Out of Pocket?

Insurance may cover some or most of what you need to live a healthy life with a diabetes diagnosis, but it will rarely cover 100% of the associated costs. Here are a few expenses that insurance may not cover:

• Health insurance premiums, deductibles, and co-payments
• Medications
• Medical travel expenses for therapy or treatment
• Relocation or moving expenses due to diagnosis (such as in the case of moving to be closer to a therapy center or hospital for treatment)
• Temporary housing due to medical relocation
• Mileage, tolls, and parking fees for visits to therapy center or hospital
• Home health care services and caregiving
• A pancreas transplant, which can cure diabetes in some cases but comes with substantial additional out-of-pocket costs – you may even need to fundraise just to be listed for a transplant

Partners In Hope

Our success as a fundraising site for medical bills wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for our outstanding partners.

MobilityWorks

Vantage Mobility International

Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy

KYW Newsradio 1060

Prelude Solutions

Abilities Expo

Global Genes Alliance

United Access