How Much Does Type 1 Diabetes Cost Per Year

Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Spend About $2500 A Year In Health Care Costs

While insulin comprises a big part of diabetes expenses for children and adults, diabetes-related supplies can cost even more.

Adults and children with type 1 diabetes will spend an average of $2,500a year out-of-pocket for health care but insulin isnt always the biggest expense new research suggests.

While out-of-pocket costs for insulin was substantial, it accounted for just 18% of total out-of-pocket expenses for health care, according to the findings in JAMA Internal Medicine.

In fact, insulin accounted for less out-of-pocket spending than diabetes-related supplies, such as insulin pumps, syringes and continuous glucose monitors.

Insulin is the difference between life and death for patients with type 1 diabetes, and efforts to make it more affordable are critical, says lead author Kao-Ping Chua, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatrician and researcher at Michigan Medicines C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital and the Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center.

However, our study shows that even if insulin were free, families would still have substantial out-of-pocket costs for other health care. Policymakers should improve the affordability of all care for type 1 diabetes.

Eight percent of patients in the study spent at least double the average with more than $5,000 in out-of-pocket costs, possibly because they were enrolled in high deductible health plans or had particularly great health needs, authors say.

Alternative Ways To Cover Diabetes Costs

• Traditional Health Insurance: There may be partial coverage for some diabetes related expenses through private insurance, such as prescriptions.
• Crowdfunding: An option some Canadians have turned to is crowdfunding. There are several platforms that allow you to set-up a crowdfunding account to tell your story, and get support from your community.
• Health Spending Account : A Health Spending Account is a cost effective alternative to insurance. There are no premiums and you are able to deduct 100% of diabetes related costs, including: insulin, insulin pumps, test strips, glucose monitors, syringes, and more.

A Health Spending Account Can Help with Diabetes Related Costs.

A Health Spending Account is an alternative to traditional health insurance. Used by thousands of small business owners across Canada, an HSA is a special account established to exclusively pay for health care services for you and your family members.

An HSA enables a small business to deduct 100% of their family health and dental expenses – without paying standard premiums typically associated with traditional health insurance plans.

The ability to write-off health and dental expensescan create savings of more than 30% on medical and dental related expenses. For contractors, consultants, and other incorporated small business owners, this is an effective tool to cut your taxes and reduce your medical costs.

Note: An HSA is only available for incorporated small businesses and is not available in Quebec.

How Does The Device Work

The sensor is a small, thin thread that is inserted under the skin through a guide needle. The guide needle is removed immediately after the sensor has been placed under the skin. The transmitter is fixed over the sensor, collects the sensors information, and transmits it wirelessly to the receiver or smartphone. A compatible receiver or smartphone will show the following information: blood sugar trend wave, current blood sugar level, trend forecast the direction and speed with which your blood sugar will change.

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Diabetes Is The Seventh Leading Cause Of Death In The United States

Diabetes is among the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. Diabetes is a type of endocrine disease. Such diseases occur when any of the major glands in the endocrine system produce too little or too much of a particular hormone, or when the body responds irregularly to hormones. Diabetes, in particular, presents when the body is unable to properly regulate blood sugar levels.

There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes.

• Type 1 diabetes formerly called juvenile diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults when the body does not produce insulin. There is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes, and required management includes daily injections of insulin and monitoring blood glucose levels.
• Type 2 diabetes is the most common diabetes diagnosis, accounting for about 90 to 95% of diagnosed diabetes in adults. It occurs when the body in unable to manage insulin properly, causing blood glucose levels to rise.
• Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy and can present complications for both the woman and child. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , gestational diabetes occurs in 6% of pregnancies.

The Cost Of Having A Child With Diabetes

We all know the ultimate cost that living with Diabetes places on the PWD and their families. The mental burden of living with diabetes and caring for someone that lives with Diabetes can become overwhelming as it is.

While previously we discussed about the increasing prices of insulin and its rise to an all-time highs, it is only a small piece of the puzzle, a small glimpse of the bigger picture of what it truly costs for someone with diabetes to stay ALIVE each and every month. We are not talking about just managing, or being healthy, but staying ALIVE.

Let that word sink in for a moment with you. Yes, there are medications one takes to feel better, ibuprofen for a headache, or Tylenol for aches and pains, however, insulin and other diabetes related supplies are the few things that stand between someone with diabetes and death.

Am I being over dramatic? Not really when you think about it, insulin is not a cure it is not a medication you can miss for a day and still be okay the next day. While you may not necessarily DIE from one missed day of a dose of insulin, I can tell you that you will not feel good at all and may actually end up in the hospital.

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Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

To help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, CDCs National Diabetes Prevention Program delivers an affordable, evidence-based lifestyle change program. Studies show that lifestyle change programs can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by more than 50% for people at high risk. CDC and its partners are working to make the lifestyle change program available to more Americans. More than 525,000 adults have participated as of April 2021.

To make more people aware of their risk of prediabetes, CDC partnered with the American Diabetes Association, American Medical Association, and Ad Council to launch the first national prediabetes awareness campaign.

How Much Is A Bottle Of Insulin

The cost of one insulin vial varies depending on the type of insulin you use and how you are paying for it. But, no matter the cost, there are alternatives to paying cash price.

If you do not have insurance, the pharmaceutical companies that make insulin products offer patient assistance programs, explains Michael Carnathan MD, a board-certified family physician in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Most of the time, the patient can get the insulin for free or at a very reduced cost.

For those without health insurance, the older human insulins cost anywhere from $25 to $100 per vial for example, Walmart has human insulin available at $25 per vial. The newer human analog insulins cost between $174 to $300 per vial, according to a report published in 2018.

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The Cost Of Diabetes Complications

A 2012 report from the London School of Economics, estimates that the cost of prescribing medication for complications of diabetes is around 3 to 4 times the cost of prescribing diabetes medication.

Medication for cardiovascular disease constitutes the largest proportion of prescriptions costs for people with diabetes.

Annual inpatient care, to treat short and long term complications of diabetes, is estimated at between £1,800 and £2,500 per patient

This compares with annual outpatient costs, which includes the cost of medications and monitoring supplies, estimated at between £300 and £370 per patient

The Role Of Insurance

The ADAs Insulin Access and Affordability Working Group report found that nearly half of Americans have employer-sponsored health insurance. About 20% are insured through Medicaid, and 14% are insured through Medicare. Approximately 7% of Americans purchase health insurance on their owneither directly from an insurer or through a health insurance exchange. About 9% of Americans remain uninsured.

Diabetes is considered a pre-existing condition. According to research published in Diabetes Care, an estimated 1.9 million uninsured people with diabetes gained insurance coverage after the Affordable Care Act went into effect. More than half of those who gained insurance were low-income.

Still, having insurance doesn’t mean insulin is affordable. Insured patients will often pay a copay or a percentage, rather than the list price, for their insulin. Redmond says that cost could range from $30 to $50.

In cases of high-deductible health plans, patients have to pay the list price for their insulin until their deductible is met, which often translates to thousands of dollars out of pocket. Many patients just have a problem paying that much, says Redmond.

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Research Design And Methods

The methodology used is similar to that of previous diabetes burden studies sponsored by the American Diabetes Association , with updated data sources and modifications to refine the analyses where appropriate. Although the primary focus of this analysis is the national economic burden of disease, the national estimates are calculated by summing the state-level estimates that reflect variation across states in demographics, health risk factors and lifestyle choices, prices, and economic outcomes. All cost and utilization estimates are extrapolated to the U.S. population in 2017, with cost estimates calculated in 2017 dollars using the hospital services, physician services, and prescription drug components of the medical consumer price index or total consumer price index .

How Much Does A Dexcom Cgm System Cost

The price of a CGM system will depend on which model you want and where its purchased. At the time of this writing, there were three available models:

• Dexcom G5 Mobile System with prices ranging from $550 to $860 per transmitter without insurance
• Dexcom G6 GCM, their newest release that is expected to retail between 50%-75% above the costs of the previous model
• Dexcom G4 CGM which is the oldest version, but with the same prices as the G5 model.

For about $1,600, you can also buy a starter kit containing one box of sensors, a receiver, and two transmitters.

If you choose to buy only the transmitter, its sensors will not be included in the total cost, and these have to be replaced every seven days. The price for one sensor is $110, or you can buy a box of four for $330 to $410.

Regarding the transmitter, the company notes that it lasts only three months, which is why you receive two of these when you purchase from them.

For example, we found a Dexcom G5 Transmitter on its own on Amazon.com at the price of $460, but it was out of its validity date, and, as for many other people, it is not recommended to buy it this way.

You might also like our articles about the cost of HSG tests, Exogen bone healing system, or tuberculosis tests.

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What Is The Monthly Cost Of Insulin In Canada

People with diabetes have various costs associated with the treatment and maintenance of their health. In this article, we will explore commonly reported costs associated with monthly insulin requirements, overall diabetes maintenance costs, and how small and medium businesses can support employees with diabetes.

Executive Orders On Drug Prices

After the first presidential debate, President Donald Trump claimed of insulin, Im getting it for so cheap its like water. The statement prompted questions about insulin prices following a spate of executive orders that Trump signed over the summer. These orders included language aimed at lowering insulin and other drug prices for Americans.

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Spending On Endocrine Diseases Accounts For Seven Percent Of Medical Condition

In 2016, the U.S. spent approximately $77 billion on the treatment of diabetes, according to estimates by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This represents 3.4% of total medical services spending on treatment of diseases and other medical conditions .

In 2016, diabetes and other endocrine diseases together accounted for 7% of total spending on medical conditions, at $159 billion. The top 6 medical condition-based spending categories account for over half of all medical services spending by medical condition.

The Burden Of Diabetes

The one thing that has always bugged me about this disease other than the most common reasons is the financial cost it takes to keep someone with Diabetes alive! Thankfully, we have insurance that covers for the majority of the cost, but I know there are people out there who are not as lucky. It is important to get the word out of what it really costs for someone with Diabetes to stay alive.

As an example I will use first my sons costs for a month:

• 650 Testing Strips = $650.00- $1300
• 15 Infusion sets and Reservoirs to hold insulin $350
• Alcohol wipes, IV 3000 Stickers , IV prep , and Uni Solve = $200
• 4 vials Novalog insulin =$1200
• 1 vial Lantus insulin =$320
• Juice boxes, and glucose tablets for treatment of lows- $250

Additionally, we also have his supplies that we get 2x a year

• Blood Ketone Strips 350 a year = $1750.00

Every month, it costs roughly about $2970-$3620.00 just to keep my son, Clifford, alive. If we look at it at a yearly basis, the cost is between $37,390 and $45,190. You need a full time job just to be able to afford your supplies that keep you alive YEARLY without insurance. This is a bit ridiculous and the one thing that has bothered me.

In addition, Clifford also takes Synthroid to help regulate his thyroid levels because of Hashimotos. There are many PWDs living with other conditions that need treatment and the treatment for which add to the already expensive cost. This is why we push so hard for a cure! It is way too expensive to have diabetes!

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Black And Hispanic People Have Consistently Experienced Higher Than Average Rates Of Diagnosed Diabetes

In the U.S., the prevalence of diabetes has increased over time across all racial and ethnic groups and most rapidly among Asian and White people, but Black and Hispanic people continue to have the highest rates of diagnosed diabetes. In 2017, 6% of White people and nearly 7% of Asian people had a diabetes diagnosis, compared to over 8% of Black people and over 9% of Hispanic people well above the national average of 6% of the total population for all ages. From 1999 to 2017, the percentage of people with a diabetes diagnosis increased by 19% among Black people, 48% among Hispanic people, 62% among White people, and 97% among Asian people.

Adults With Diabetes Are More Likely To Report Cost As A Barrier To Taking Medication As Prescribed

About 1 in 5 of non-elderly adults with a diabetes diagnosis reported not taking medication in advance due to cost, compared to 1 in 10 adults without a diabetes diagnosis, and 15% of adults with pre- or borderline diabetes. Out of those with a diabetes diagnosis, lower-income adults were more than twice as likely to report not taking medications as prescribed due to cost, compared with adults with incomes above $50,000 per year . Similar shares of diabetics who take insulin and those who do not take insulin reported that cost was a barrier to taking medication as prescribed .

Diabetes is commonly treated with medication, which includes insulin injections and oral medication, among other treatment options. According to the CDC, while most adults with a diabetes diagnosis reported using either insulin or pills for diabetes management in 2016, nearly 1 in 5 adults with diabetes reported not using any diabetes medication. Additionally, nearly 1 in 4 adults with diabetes asked their doctor for a lower-cost medication.

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What This Means For You

You or a loved one might be paying high prices for insulin. Check with your insulin manufacturer to see if you qualify for a patient assistance program. If you aren’t eligible for these programs, talk to your healthcare provider or certified diabetes care and education specialist about other options.

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