Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lindsay on September 27, 2010 at 6:41pm

Please forgive me. I'm not on Kaiser so I'm speaking totally from ignorance here. I'll certainly concede to anybody else on the forum who has more first-hand information. I simply can't imagine Kaiser not covering insulin pens. And certainly not covering them in preference for insulin pumps! I'm guessing this is born more of confusion & misunderstanding than a real constraint. I encourage you and your cousin to revisit the issue to get greater clarity.

With all of that said some insulins are no longer available in pen form. And some insulins are now only available in throw-away one-time-use plastic flexpens. As noted in another thread about insulin pens I'm having to change my tried-and-true insulin strategies to accommodate these changes. So Kaiser might be changing their coverage of select types and kinds of pens. But I can almost assure you some insulin pens are still available under their coverage. (Previous caveat applies.) I look forward to being corrected if I am wrong. TIA.

Wishing you & your cousin the very best.

Permalink Reply by T1Tambien on December 31, 2010 at 5:20pm

I was so hoping when I found this post that there would be an answer!

 :-(  I'm in the same boat- I NEED Kaiser to cover the Lantus pen for me and they will not. Their argument is that the pens are more expensive than vials.  I've argued that in my low dose situation it  would actually be less because I wouldnt need to fill the prescription every month (there are 5 pens in a prescription 300 units per pen vs. 1000 units in a vial) but to no avail.  If anyone out there knows how to get around this I would so appreaciate hearing how it's done!

Permalink Reply by Michael T Wilford on January 20, 2011 at 4:58pm

Good Evening,
What region do you belong too? I have Kaiser in southern California and I use both novolog flex pen and Lantus solostar pens. My wife and I have Kaiser and with dual coverage I don't pay anything for the prescription

Mike

Permalink Reply by Jake on May 31, 2011 at 6:55am

This unfortunately is very common with some insurance providers in the US... In the UK its the reverse, pens are the norm due to their higher compliance and less (plastic/sharps) waste... Odd isnt it.. Im in a similar situation to MK but have been told my doc is pretty good at appeals for just the reason MK states.. Also if he does go on the pump with Kaiser.. the odds are its a Medtronic pump.. Last i checked they were a Medtronic only shop..