test strips

[msdebagain]

so, doc calls in refills for test strips. i go to pick them up and my health insurance (which has ALWAYS covered them) Health Net, told the pharmacist that they were 'non forumulary' and not covered. so i have no strips until tuesday. health Net closed til Tuesday. i dont have 50 bucks to buy them. nice huh? used my last one this morning. grrr.

[notme]

Go to Walmart and buy one of their Reli-on meters. It comes with test strips and it is about $25.00. Good back up meter.

[Funnygrl]

My ReliOn didn't come with strips, but it's still very reasonable to buy strips out of pocket for it. I think that's a very good idea. You can even save the receipt and send it in to insurance and insist on reimbursement.

[notme]

The one I bought funny came with like ten strips in little foil packages. It was about a year ago, so maybe they don't do it anymore?

[Funnygrl]

The one I bought funny came with like ten strips in little foil packages. It was about a year ago, so maybe they don't do it anymore?
Hmmm, I dunno. Maybe it can vary on what part of the country you are in too? Or maybe I'm just confusing it with some other meter that doesn't come with strips.

[msdebagain]

i am headed to the store shortly and will check it out, thanks!

[msdebagain]

i found a pharmacy that had strips for 25 dollars (25 in the bottle). i'll be sending Health Net the bill along with a BIG written complaint (even after i call them Tuesday)

Funny, they paid my 68k hospital bill no problem (for my DKA) but said no to my test strips. dopes.

[catgalla]

What kind of meter do you use? I use the bd meter with my paradigm pump and my insurance doesn't cover the strips anymore and I'm figuring it's because bd isn't going to be making meters any longer. I have since went back to using the One Touch Ultra 2 and they cover those strips. :)

[msdebagain]

What kind of meter do you use? I use the bd meter with my paradigm pump and my insurance doesn't cover the strips anymore and I'm figuring it's because bd isn't going to be making meters any longer. I have since went back to using the One Touch Ultra 2 and they cover those strips. :)


i use the one touch Ultra. if Health Net tells me they arent covering the strips, i'll find out what meter they will cover the strips for, and have the doctor call in a prescription for the entire thing. :)

[msdebagain]

OK.. Here's the scoop. apparently Health net doesnt even cover the One touch machines at all. they cover the freestyle, precision and accucheck. after researching and talking to the doc, i chose the freestyle flash. i didnt even have to go the pharmacy for one, the doctor had one, and strips. i like it, its small, and you can test anywhere. anyone use this one?

[Dewey]

OK.. Here's the scoop. apparently Health net doesnt even cover the One touch machines at all. they cover the freestyle, precision and accucheck. after researching and talking to the doc, i chose the freestyle flash. i didnt even have to go the pharmacy for one, the doctor had one, and strips. i like it, its small, and you can test anywhere. anyone use this one?
I've used the Flash & loved it. As you said, the strips require less blood than most other meters, and the best thing I loved about the Flash was the strip light (that's been extremely helpful in dark areas such as movie theaters & the like).

Sorry to hear your insurance was being such a pain, and I hope that they will correct this for you in some way. :(

As Nancy said, if you're ever in a pinch & need strips but cannot afford lofty prices, Wal-Mart sells the Reli-On Ultima meter for $8.88 and 50 strips for $21.94 That's been the cheapest priced meter (& strips) I've been able to find.

It sounds like you got a decent deal on the meter you purchased, so that's good. Still though, it was frustrating that insurance did that to you in the first place. :(

[Funnygrl]

I also love my Flash!

[Cyborg]

Don't know what meter takes them, but I noticed CVS test strips were about 1/2 price of the name brands. Approximate 50 cents a piece...

[Lance42]

Yeah I love the flash also. Cigna insurance covers the strips but the Accu-check strips are the cheapest if you have cigna. Accu-check is their prefered meter maker. My dietician got talked to because she was giving the freestyle flash meters out for free and Cigna didn't like that. I and a few others urged her to keep doing it. She said she plans to.:)

[w5wjp]

The meter with the Cozmo pump is a "Flash" that has been reworked to talk to the pump. One of the best meters I have ever used. VERY small sample size and agrees with my Precision Xtra and One Touch Ultra.

[Diana]

I've got the Australian version of the flash - here it is called the freestyle papillion. Its not too bad, the strip light is handy! The one we have doesn't turn on automatically when you put a test strip in - is this the same as the flash? this is the only thing I find a bit annoying about it.