Insulin Pump

Hi S.!
My husband has a MiniMed pump. His insurance covers 80% of the cost of the pump and the supplies.
The supplies for the pump cost us about $100 a month, not including insulin, blood sugar strips, lancets etc. The extra cost is worth it! My husbands blood sugars and A1c are VERY good!
I hope this helps!

Hi S.,

My dad has Type 1 Diabetes and has gone from using the regular shots several times a day to an insulin pump. I am positive it is a MiniMed. It has been really great for him. Not only does it take less time, as far as only needing to insert it every 3-4 days but also each meal he just calculates how much insulin he should need and enters that number in to the pump which looks like a pager. It disperses the extra insulin over a period of time. He also is able to program it, so that during times that he may get a high or low like in the middle of the night, it is already working for him. He also is able to download his "stats" wirelessly to his computer, and then email those to his MD. He used to be on a rotating shift, so being able to monitor what is happening with those types of changes is a big difference.

The other thing that is nice about it, like during holidays when he eats a little more, is that the pump has a signal when he has a certain amount of insulin left, like a low tank of gas. This allows him about 4 hours before he knows he needs to change it out. Another great feature is that if he doesn't change it out after a certain time, a safety alert is in place.

I think my dad's equipment is covered, and he gets new equipment every two-three years. (He's had two pumps now)The insulin is like the regular co-pay. The testing strips and stuff may cost what a co-pay costs, but he orders it and has it shipped to him. I think it may have cost him more initially, getting started up, but the cost really outweighs how handy it has been, and how well he has been able to control his diabetes.

I hope this helps! If you would like more detailed info. I can get that for you. I'm VERY excited that you and your husband are looking at this option! It really has been a lifesaver for my dad!

M.

We put my 12 year-old son on the Mimimed Paradigm this summer. I'm sure all insurance plans are different, but we paid $500 out of the $6800 cost. I was amazed that that was all we had to pay!(The Paradigm is pricier because it has the continuous glucose monitor capabilities).Our cost is about $40/mo for all the tubings, etc. Its a bit of a steep learning curve learning the pump at first but my son LOVES it!

Hi S.! I've been diabetic for almost 22 years and have been wearing a pump for 10. I just started the MiniMed Paradigm a few months ago. It depends on your insurance, but it's a given that wearing a pump will cost more than shots, but I would never go back. Pumps give you so much more freedom, which is ironic, since you are connected to a device. When my sugar is low, I can turn down the basal rate and immediately, I get less insulin. Treating highs is much easier and pumping has tightened my control. I order supplies through a mail order service and get 3 months at a time, but my cost is still just over $100 a month. Feeling good is worth every penny! My advice would be to see which test strips your insurance supports. This seems to be the biggest variant in out-of-pocket expenses. The MiniMed pump has a deal with One Touch and the meter communicates wirelessly with the pump. The Continuous Blood Monitor is an incredible option as well, if your husband is interested in that. Thank goodness diabetic care has come so far since we were diagnosed!