16 What do meters cost? (blood glucose measurement)
Description
This article is from the Diabetes FAQ, by Edward Reid edward@paleo.org with numerous contributions by others.
16 What do meters cost? (blood glucose measurement)
The flip side of expensive blood glucose measurement strips is that
the manufacturers virtually (and sometimes literally) give away the
meters to hook you on their strips. Don't pay full price for a
meter; look for discounts, rebates, and giveaways. For example, as
of this writing I'm looking at a catalog that shows a Glucometer 3
for US$45, with a US$30 manufacturer's rebate *and* a US$30 trade-in
allowance if you already have a competing meter -- which means you
make US$15. There are similar deals on other meters.
But make sure you consider the cost of strips as well as the cost of
meters, and find out which your insurance will pay for. The most
fully featured meters, such as the One Touch II, don't have such
widely advertised deals, though you can probably find ways of
getting them at discount.
If you have insurance that pays for strips but not for the meter,
you should not have to pay anything for the meter. If it's worth the
time to you, call the meter manufacturers' customer service
departments or the mail order outfits (see "Where can I mail order
XYZ?" in part 4, Sources). They will find a way to get you the meter
for free.
As with strips, this discussion of costs applies to the US, and
there has been little discussion of meter costs outside the US on
m.h.d., probably because fewer tradeoffs are available in most
countries.
An Australian correspondent notes a much narrower choice and higher
cost of meters there, but subsidized (pardon, subsidised)
measurement strips.
In Britain, strips are covered by the National Health Service, but
meters may be expensive. However I've also heard of a limited-time
One Touch program providing a full refund for the meter if you
submit the strip wrappers. Likely other companies will compete.
Elsewhere? Please post. It's likely that the situation is continuing
to change rapidly, so if the cost of the meter is painful for you,
investigate other options before paying full price -- wherever you
live.
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