We, The Undersigned - Tuesday 5/14
Today, day 2 of blog week, the topic is creating your own petition. This is a good question to consider. There are so many things I would love to petition to change about Diabetes.
Today, day 2 of blog week, the topic is creating your own petition. This is a good question to consider. There are so many things I would love to petition to change about Diabetes.
We, the undersigned, petition the United States Government
for free diabetic health care to all diabetics.
No one person should be denied medical care for a lifelong disease. Diabetes is extremely expensive. With the downhill economy, more and more
diabetics are left without health insurance and funding to meet their medical
needs. Many families face
life-threatening situations because they cannot afford their or their child’s
insulin. Choices like buying a vial of
insulin vs. putting food on the table are being forced daily.
Lets look at the typical diabetic’s cost for one month on
MDI (multiple daily injections). A
diabetic on MDI would need at least one vial of rapid insulin and one vial of
long-acting insulin per month. Each vial
retails for about $150. Insulin syringes
retail for about $25 a box of 100 count.
Test strips average $1 per strip.
So diabetics on MDI need at least 4 shots a day (1 long acting, 3 rapid
with meals) if their blood glucose levels are in their range (not needing a
correction for a high. They would need
to test a minimum of 4-6 times a day…lets average this and say 5 tests.
Cost of
Insulin: 1 vial Long acting @ $150 + 1
vial rapid @ $150 = $300
Long Acting Insulin
(Levemir/Lantus): 1 shot per day x 30
days = 30 shots
Rapid
Insulin (Novolog/Humalog/Apidra): 3 shots per day x 30 days =90 shots
Total
Minimum Shots: 30 + 90 = 120
Insulin syringes come in bags of 10 with 10 needles in each
bag. A box of 100 syringes contains 10
bags of syringes.
For 120
shots, 1 box and 2 bags (of 10 count) syringes would be needed.
Cost of
each syringe: $25/100= $0.25
Total
cost of each syringe: 120 x $0.25 = $30
Test strips come in boxes of 25 count, 50 count, and 100
count. The higher quantity the box you
get the cheaper the strips are, but on average it is $1 a strip.
Testing: 5 times a day x 30 days = 150
Total
cost of test strips: $1 x 150 = $150
Total cost of Diabetes supplies for 1 month on MDI
$300 +
$30 + $150 = $480
This is the minimum cost for diabetes supplies in one
month. How many people do you know that
have an extra $480 a month lying around? Not many.
Other factors that will increase the cost:
Being
on an insulin pump
Being
on a CGM
Needing
more than 4 shots per day (which is most on MDI)
Needing
to test more than 5 times per day
Having
to see a doctor
Needing
Blood work done
And
more!
It is very sad and unfortunate how many people are denied
health insurance or medical care because of their inability to pay. I know there are emtala laws stating in
emergency situations you are allowed to be treated regardless of ability to
pay, but so many won’t go get help because they do not want to be faced with
the high bills emergency rooms and hospitals run. Regular doctors’ offices do not have to
follow these emtala laws. But if all
diabetics were allowed to have regular health care and access to their needed
supplies, they would not be facing these situations. I have many friends, and myself included, who
have gone into medical debt. No one should
be in debt over a medical bill.
