Diabetic Supplies Should Not Be Considered a 'Luxury' Item

I am a type 1 diabetic who deals with constant changes in my blood glucose levels due to lack of insulin and proper supplies because of the cost. My insurance is through BCBS, which, might I add I pay a pretty penny each month and I have been struggling for the past year trying to get my supplies and medications to be covered.

I have finally received my Dexcom G5 CMG after almost seven months of back and forth with my insurance and diabetes management and supplies. Now my Dexcom is covered at 100 percent; it’s supplies along with any pump supplies I will need. But on the other hand, I’m told insulin and insulin pumps aren’t covered because they are not a medically necessary item. It’s a shame that insurance companies look at things like insulin, which keeps me alive, as luxury items.

None of my supplies are covered 100 percent by insurance except my glucose meter but its supplies cost me over $50 a month. And then my insulin alone costs me $35 each time I need to get a refill. My needles cost me $20 just so I can give my insulin injections. We shouldn’t have to pay so much for the items we need to live. My pancreas doesn’t exist in the proper way it should. So insulin is my only way to stay alive.

Insurance companies make a decent amount of money off those who are insured through them, yet they are not willing to pay to keep their insured alive and well. What kind of world do we live in?