How much is too much?
November 13, 2019 11:38 PM Subscribe
Curious what fellow Mifis are paying for their insulin?
(NB: I do not have diabetes)
In the UK, people who treat their diabetes with insulin can get a prescription charge waiver certificate, which means that per-prescription costs, usually £9, are not applied. So patients don't pay for insulin here, though the health service as a whole is paid for out of taxation so it's not actually free.
posted by altolinguistic at 6:38 AM on November 14, 2019
In the UK, people who treat their diabetes with insulin can get a prescription charge waiver certificate, which means that per-prescription costs, usually £9, are not applied. So patients don't pay for insulin here, though the health service as a whole is paid for out of taxation so it's not actually free.
posted by altolinguistic at 6:38 AM on November 14, 2019
I live in Ireland and if you are diagnosed with diabetes, you register for the Long Term Illness Scheme and your drugs and supplies are free. Even if you don't, you pay a maximum of €125 (about $140) per household per month for all drugs. So like I'm on beta blockers, a gallbladder drug, an anti-depressant, HRT, two inhalers, ambien, steroids and two antibiotics right now, and my husband is on ADHD meds, and I got an IUD and depo injection dispensed by my pharmacist this month, and it was still... $140.
Low-income residents get a Medical Card and are exempt from that charge, so all drugs on prescription are free.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:29 AM on November 14, 2019
Low-income residents get a Medical Card and are exempt from that charge, so all drugs on prescription are free.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:29 AM on November 14, 2019
I'm not sure if your post title is jokey or not, but as much as insulin prices are ridiculously, unreasonably high in the US currently, if something is necessary for your health in the way insulin is, no amount that you can afford is "too much." If you need help finding ways to afford it, please update to include what kind you use and I'm sure people here can help brainstorm to find a way to get it.
posted by needs more cowbell at 7:30 AM on November 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by needs more cowbell at 7:30 AM on November 14, 2019 [1 favorite]
Funny you should ask. Just yesterday I finished reviewing the various insurance options available to Mr. DrGail and me via FEHB (Federal Employee Health Benefits) here in the US, and the price of his Tresiba (a very long-acting insulin, administered once daily) was a key consideration in my evaluation. The price he would pay for a three-month supply ranged from $60 to $500, depending on the insurance plan. NB: I only reviewed Fee for Service plans, not high-deductible or HMO plans.
posted by DrGail at 7:57 AM on November 14, 2019
posted by DrGail at 7:57 AM on November 14, 2019
I have mixed feelings about Walmart, but I'm a hospital pharmacist and I often recommend people check out Walmart. You can get good prices on diabetic supplies like test strips, and they have a house brand of an older kind of insulin that is fairly inexpensive. As the article points out, it's not perfect but it could be a good option for some people.
(You can talk to the Walmart pharmacist and they can help guide you -- go when they're not busy! Needmorecowbell is right, insulin really is necessary, and you can find a way to afford it.)
GoodRx also has a nice writeup comparing various insulin costs by type.
posted by selfmedicating at 9:03 AM on November 14, 2019 [4 favorites]
(You can talk to the Walmart pharmacist and they can help guide you -- go when they're not busy! Needmorecowbell is right, insulin really is necessary, and you can find a way to afford it.)
GoodRx also has a nice writeup comparing various insulin costs by type.
posted by selfmedicating at 9:03 AM on November 14, 2019 [4 favorites]
We have a child with type 1 diabetes (i.e. insulin is really truly not negotiable) and are in the US. The pharmacy charges $973/mo for 3 vials of Humalog (a standard modern "fast"-acting insulin), but our insurance pays a negotiated rate of $475.
But we have a high-deductible plan with a reasonable out-of-pocket max which we reach in the first few months of each year, so at the moment insulin and all other healthcare are "free" until January. Endocrinologist visits and many of the other necessary (although not AS necessary) supplies for diabetes are expensive too (test strips, pump infusion sets/reservoirs if using an insulin pump, occasional glucagon, ketone strips, etc.) So that makes it a little hard to estimate what we're personally paying for insulin.
posted by cogitron at 10:49 AM on November 14, 2019
But we have a high-deductible plan with a reasonable out-of-pocket max which we reach in the first few months of each year, so at the moment insulin and all other healthcare are "free" until January. Endocrinologist visits and many of the other necessary (although not AS necessary) supplies for diabetes are expensive too (test strips, pump infusion sets/reservoirs if using an insulin pump, occasional glucagon, ketone strips, etc.) So that makes it a little hard to estimate what we're personally paying for insulin.
posted by cogitron at 10:49 AM on November 14, 2019
Obviously this very much isn't for everyone, but a couple of Americans I know buy their insulin from Canada for roughly a third of the cost they'd pay domestically.
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:47 AM on November 14, 2019
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:47 AM on November 14, 2019
My friend with type I in the Ukraine pays around $20 a month. In Canada it's been closer to $150. She uses both long and fast acting insulin. Same brand in both countries.
posted by ananci at 11:47 AM on November 14, 2019
posted by ananci at 11:47 AM on November 14, 2019
Looking at a receipt from Feb 2019, in the US with insurance. These are the Flextouch pens, which contain 3 mL at 100units/mL = 300 units/pen.
Novolog (short-acting) pens = 12 pens retail $503, or $80 out-of-pocket with insurance
Levemir (long-acting) pens = 15 pens retail $564, or $80 out-of-pocket with insurance
So pre-insurance, they both retail for around $40/pen.
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:04 PM on November 14, 2019
Novolog (short-acting) pens = 12 pens retail $503, or $80 out-of-pocket with insurance
Levemir (long-acting) pens = 15 pens retail $564, or $80 out-of-pocket with insurance
So pre-insurance, they both retail for around $40/pen.
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:04 PM on November 14, 2019
Comparing to the GoodRx article linked by selfmedicating, the numbers I have for these pens are significantly cheaper than the numbers GoodRx was working with. They show the Novolog Flextouch pen as costing on average $134 per pen, and the Levemir Flextouch pen costing $113 per pen, rather than around $40 per pen as I had it. I'm not sure what the disconnect is there, maybe the price my receipt is showing as "retail" is actually a price negotiated by insurance so it differs depending on what insurance you have?
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:47 PM on November 14, 2019
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:47 PM on November 14, 2019
Retail on my wife's insulin is $400 a vial and she uses 4 vials a month. Our high deductible insurance plan has a $4000 out of pocket max for the year so by timing her pump supplies shipment to hit in January we hit the out of pocket max around the end of month, putting her on "free" (if you ignore the $700/mo employee portion of the company subsidized insurance) for the rest of he year.
posted by COD at 6:24 PM on November 14, 2019
posted by COD at 6:24 PM on November 14, 2019
I use the Relion brand of Novolin N from Walmart [in U.S. obviously] for my diabetic cat. Each vial runs about $25 and I just purchase it without a prescription from behind the pharmacy counter. I am aware that some users purchase other types of insulin at reasonable prices from Marks Marine Pharmacy in Canada and get great and speedy service. YMMV.
posted by Gino on the Meta at 12:27 PM on November 15, 2019
posted by Gino on the Meta at 12:27 PM on November 15, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:04 AM on November 14, 2019