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:
- Eli Lilly & Company
- Insulin Affordability from Lilly Diabetes
- Novo Nordisk
- Sanofi Patient Assistance Program
- Insulins ValYou Savings Program from Sanofi is for people paying cash for insulin
- MannKind offers a $5 per day cash pay program and a Co-Pay Savings Card program for users of Afrezza
- Affordable Insulin Project from DPAC
- Reducing Insulin Out Of Pocket Costs from NDVLC
- Insulin Cost Saving Resource Guide from the American Association of Diabetes Educators
- Access & Affordability Resource