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How much of a financial burden does paying for all of your diabetes supplies place on your family?

June 26 - July 3, 2019

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How much of a financial burden does paying for all of your diabetes supplies place on your family?
Extremely high burden - we can't afford some needed diabetes supplies
8%
4
Very high burden - we struggle to make ends meet because of diabetes
14%
7
High burden - we do without many things because of diabetes
26%
13
Minor burden - we chose less expensive things because of diabetes
40%
20
No burden at all
2%
1
Other
10%
5

Caring for type 1 diabetes is an expensive endeavor. Essential medical supplies, such as glucose test strips, lancets, syringes or pump supplies, and insulin cost many thousands of dollars per year and are non-optional. While many industrialized countries in the world provide national health care coverage that includes diabetes supplies, the United States did not until 2014 with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. And while the ACA allowed more people to obtain health insurance, the net cost of diabetes care supplies has increased for many people due to changes in deductibles and variations in what drugs and products are included in a plan's formulary. Changes in 2018 and 2019 are pushing prices even higher for many families.

For more information, see Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2007 [Diabetes Care 31:596-615, 2008] (full text also available in PDF format) and Estimating the cost of type 1 diabetes in the u.s.: a propensity score matching method (free full text available in HTML and PDF formats - PDF link in HTML full text).

If you are having difficulty affording insulin, these programs may be helpful:

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