November is American Diabetes Awareness month.
A couple of years ago, I learned a bit more about the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes when one of my friend’s daughters was diagnosed with Type 1.
She wasn’t feeling well but she is so active and fit that her mom thought she was just tired or fighting a bug. After a couple of weeks, she decided to take her to urgent care and soon after arriving she was rushed to the hospital as her sugar levels were off the roof!
That’s when she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and the roller coaster began.
Most of us think it is easily controlled by the food we eat but what I learned is that every meal can be processed completely differently from one day to the next. A food item that might have been perfectly fine one day can throw you off the next. Her life now consists of daily monitoring her child through an app that tells her when her sugar is too high or too low and both are a risk. Learning to manage it is almost as difficult as reading the stock market every day. She would send us graphs of her daughter’s highs and lows and it was just heartbreaking to imagine the anxiety of constantly worrying about one more thing with your child.
I am sure you know of someone that lives with diabetes, whether it is type 1 or type 2. If you’re interested in learning more about diabetes, the American Diabetes Association Website is a great resource for diet, nutrition, fitness, medications and other important information.
Last year, many carriers participated in the insulin savings program through Medicare, and this year many more have jumped in! It is a program that allows insulin costs to remain the same, no matter which stage of your Part D coverage you are in.
Carriers cannot charge more than $35 for the insulins they cover under their formulary (the list of medications under each plan). If you are not yet in a participating plan, please call us today at 949-676-7272 for information on available plans in your area.
According to Medicare “Starting July 1, 2023 similar caps on costs will apply for insulin used in traditional insulin pumps (covered by Medicare Part B).” We often get asked about diabetic supplies costs as well as diabetic monitors. The monitors are covered under Durable Medical Equipment and the type of monitor is determined by the contract between your medical group and your carrier.
There are many organizations you can support or learn more from. Impactful Ninja listed their top 9 here: https://impactful.ninja/best-charities-for-diabetes-research/
Do you support a charity in your community? Share with us by replying to this newsletter. We LOVE to hear from you!
If you have a topic you would like us to cover, email us at help@westcompassinsurance.com or connect with us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/westcompassinsurance
Sincerely,
Cindy