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Permalink Reply by Estel Hines on January 23, 2010 at 11:44am

I pay 10 dollars for a 90 day supply of metformin at walmart. and medicare plus my supplelmental F policy pay all of my test strip costs. I test at least 6 times a day.

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Permalink Reply by The Diabetic Welfare Queen on January 23, 2010 at 1:41pm

It can vary, because not all Type 2's are the same. Some are on more, or less medications, and some are even insulin dependent and can't afford to test less often, so they also have to use more strips. From the people that I have met on this site, including myself, who practice tight control and want to keep an eye on what their medications are doing, and how they are reacting to various meals and diet, Type 2's will often test at a minimum of 1-2 times a day (for a myriad of reasons discussed in other threads.) If one is savvy when it comes to finding cheaper strips online, and not in some department store, one can find deals such as $48 for 100 strips... So on average, about $30 a month is what I pay out of pocket for testing twice a day. So, you should consider the average Type 2 with tight control to spend between $15-$60 out of pocket, depending on how often they test. I don't know what you are trying to get at, with your article... but people with a pre-existing condition don't pay the same deductible other people do -- they get charged more for that. It just keeps, and keeps adding on, when you consider that part of your treatment is also keeping a good diet (and healthy food can be expensive), as well as all the other things people do like gym memberships. It's just a big, big frustration. No one should have to be punished because they got sick... Especially when what they might make to begin with is not very much, or if they lost their job through no fault of their own. If like in many situations, even the doctor's visit, or follow up tests, exams, or treatments are also not covered, than these costs get into the thousands of dollars.

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