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A Reader Falls Through Medicare's "Doughnut Hole"
Editor: I am an enthusiastic reader of your magazine. I appreciate the number of times you have tackled some of the bigger questions of diabetes management that others have ignored.
Here is one issue that is of great concern to me: I have been diabetic since 1947, using insulin for just about all of those years. The insulin was covered by some type of medical insurance, including the five years that I used a pump.
Because of site infusion problems (lipoatrophy and hypertrophy), I moved on to insulin pens and am now injecting long-acting insulin once a day and boluses with meals.
This worked fine even into Medicare years, but now with Part D coverage and the "doughnut hole," I find myself with no coverage options. Imagine my dismay to learn that Medicare will cover the cost of insulin delivered through a pump, as well as all the other expenses incurred by pump users. I continue to pay for insulin in cartridges and fall into the doughnut hole each year.
The cost of supporting syringe or pen users is miniscule compared to pump users. Has no other reader complained about this? Would you address this in a future issue?
Thanks,
Alice Allen Erie,
Pa.
Editor's Note: We welcome comments on Alice's plight.
Categories: Diabetes, Diabetes, Health Insurance, Insulin, Insulin Pumps, Letters to the Editor, Pens, Syringes, Type 1 Issues
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Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues.
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Topics
- Diabetic / Diabetes Health
- Type 1 / 1.5 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Blood Glucose / Sugar
- High/Low Blood Sugar / Fast Acting Glucose
- Insulin- Pumps, Pens & Syringes
- Continuous Glucose Monitors, CGM, Infusion Sets
- Type 2 Medications
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypoglycemia
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