July 3, 2006
Insurance/Costs
Question from Orlando, Florida, USA:
We currently have Blue Cross/Blue Shield (BCBS) insurance through my employer with Caremark being our mail order pharmacy. My daughter takes insulin injections and all of her diabetic supplies were FREE. They ship us a three month supply and ship her insulin overnight on ice. We were just informed today that effective January 1, 2007, we will no longer have BCBS, but UnitedHealthcare. My husband had UnitedHealthcare as his insurer with Medco as the pharmacy and they did not reimburse us for any of her insulin. Do you have a list of insurance companies that still pay for insulin in full? We are hoping to get her on a pump before we switch to UnitedHealthcare so the pump is paid for. We are trying to find an insurance company that will cover the insulin for the pump 100%
Answer:
There is no simple answer to your question. The coverage of any health insurance benefit contract or pharmacy coverage can vary due to employer group benefit program, the company offering the health insurance coverage and even from contract to contract within a company. I encourage you to review the Health Insurance Consumer guide published by the Georgetown University School of Health Policy, A Consumer’s Guide to Getting and Keeping Health Insurance in Florida.
Another suggestion is that if you have access to health insurance coverage through your employment, you may wish to compare the coverages that are available to you. You should be able to enroll during the next one-enrollment period, which is usually in the fall, with the new coverage effective on the first of the new year.
DSH
