Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by jbowler on February 21, 2012 at 10:00pm

Insulet (Omnipod); the quality of the product is a matter between you and Insulet, because *you* are the one who paid. The insurance company is just a separate business that covers some of your costs, but insurance pays *you*.

Oh, Ok, I know, it's all a big scam; the insurance company works hand in pocket with the supplier and you get cut out. I noticed that with Dexcom; their product didn't work, I didn't pay (fortunately I paid by credit card); I told my insurance company I wasn't paying and they shouldn't, they dissed me and paid out: everyone wins except me.

Now, if US health insurance was like US car insurance things would be different, but it isn't; it's a scam, first perfected by the US Mafia (you have no choice, you have to pay.)

John Bowler jbowler@acm.org

Permalink Reply by jla on February 27, 2012 at 7:12am

Isn't a box supposed to last a month? That's 10 pods at 3 days @. I figure he's got 33 months of pods accumulated.

Permalink Reply by Don on February 22, 2012 at 9:17am

Hoard away. This is a totally rational response to managing a chronic disease with our health care system.

It is crazy difficult to figure out the cost between the annual deductible, the DME copay, and finally the contracted rate between the insurance company. This is before considering the uneven experience podders report regarding failures (which admittedly Insulet is very good about reimbursing).

Permalink Reply by Susan Anderson on February 26, 2012 at 8:46am

Just make sure you look at the expiration dates on them -- they expire because the internal batteries last only 3 years. If you don't hear the double beep when priming, the battery is dead.

Permalink Reply by jla on February 27, 2012 at 7:08am

According to my calculations you now have approximately 33 months of pods accumulated. Can you deal with Liberty to have them stop sending you pods until you call and ask for them? That's what I do both when I have a shortage or when I have too much of something. They provide my strips, pods, and CGM sensors. They have been very accommodating. It may depend on your insurance. The pods expire 2 years after they are manufactured so you are most likely going to be fine for quite some time using what you already have. As to no double beep. I always put a pod through the priming process even when I don't get the double beeps. Much of the time they work fine. If they fail to prime, I simply draw the insulin back out using the syringe in the new pod packet I'm going to use. Swab the vile of insulin you use with alcohol and inject air into the vile as per usual. Then carefully swab the opening of the failed pod into which you put the insulin and with the pod upside down draw what insulin you can get out of the failed one. Then I carefully push all the air out of the syringe until no bubbles appear at the top near the needle. Next I swab the vile once again and draw the remainder of what I need from the vile and tap the syringe to push any bubbles to the top near the needle again as you normally do and eject them carefully. Then I alcohol swab the new pod and insert the insulin as per usual. This protocol, of course is not in the Omnipod manual but it works. If the failed pod is not out of date, report it as usual to Omnipod for replacement. Keep in mind that within the time frame of the pods you now have, there are some big changes expected in the size of the pods. I would think that your insurance would not complain when they do not have to pay for pods. My insurance that pays for the pods is a self insured system so it behooves me to keep their costs as low as possible.

Permalink Reply by johnnyjumpstart on February 28, 2012 at 4:34pm

Liberty always calls me b4 sending supplies. The next time they call Im going to tell them I have a enough pods to cover the next 3 months & that I dont need anymore.

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