How Much Does Insulin Pump Cost

The food our stomach digests are changed into glucose. Glucose is a kind of sugar that travels inside our body into the bloodstream and cells. This glucose is allowed by the insulin which is produced by our pancreas to enter the body and give it energy. Without insulin, our body will not be able to get the glucose we need, our cells will starve and the glucose in our blood will increase. If our body has irregular dosages of insulin, we could be diagnosed with diabetes. People with diabetes, will need insulin shots and pumps. But how much does insulin pump cost? We’ll discuss this further as we learn more about diabetes and its treatment.

Without The Insulin Pump

If a person with diabetes does not have his insulin level regulated, aside from having their blood glucose rise, they will also experience the following: urination more than the usual, often thirsty, losing weight, always hungry and tired, has dry and itchy skin, have sores that slowly heal, has blurry eyesight, tingling sensation in feet and hands, and sexual dysfunction.

Diabetes is a chronic disease, which means it does not go away, but if left uncontrolled, it could progress and could lead to much damage in the body like, loosing eyesight and legs having to be amputated and other grave complications. Good thing, diabetes can be controlled and people who are affected by it are still able to live life to the fullest as they take their insulin, through the pump, but many are not yet familiar regarding the cost of diabetic pump.

Getting An Insulin Pump

In order to get an insulin pump, you will have to get a doctor’s prescription first. However, according to the Diabetes Self-Management website, not many doctors are familiar with insulin pump, and that out of the 25,000 doctors in the United States, only 2,000 of them would prescribe pumps.

According to the same website, the average insulin pump price, is expensive and some patients cannot afford it, not without the help of their insurance coverage. A single pump cost about $5,500 dollars already, while the supplies cost about $100 monthly. Good thing if the patient has an insurance coverage because the insurance will generally cover for the pump and supply of up to 80% of the cost of diabetic pump, while some insurance companies would cover for all of the cost including the pump and supplies.

As for Medicare, it only covers for the cost of diabetic pump of people with Type 1 diabetes back in the year 2000, but when 2002 came, they were able to cover for the people with Type 2 diabetes also, provided they have a low-normal C-peptide levels.

Price Of Insulin Pump

If the average insulin pump price is a shocker to take in, what you can do is to weigh some considerations. If you take the diabetes therapy in oral route, a doctor’s prescribed glipizide may cost you about $32 dollars a month and a maximum dose of metformin is $55. Then add in the pioglitazone for $125 dollars a month. If you add up all the cost, you will realize that it’s still cost effective to take one dose of the $100 dollar a month, supply of diabetic medicine as compared with all the rest for the pills calculated. Knowing how much does insulin pump costs, can provide you a more informed choice for a cost- effective medication.

How Insulin Pump Works?

Now that you know the average insulin pump price, you will also have to understand how insulin pumps work. What insulin pumps does is that they deliver a rapid acting insulin into your body, using the aid of a catheter placed under the skin. It works for 24 hours a day and is separated into three: the basal rates, the bolus doses (this covers the carbohydrate in meals) and the correction dosses also known as the supplemental doses.

This insulin is being programed on different times of the day, and night. A patient who is eating will have to use the buttons on the insulin pump to give him relief and let the bolus help him cover the carbs in his meal or snack. If a patient is experiencing a high glucose level, all he will need to so is to give himself a correction dose to regulate the insulin level in the body.

What you need to learn if you are the patient, where to exactly put the insulin pump. Some of the suggested places to put an insulin pump is attaching it on your waistband, bra, garter, pocket, sock, underwear and belt. The excess tubing can just be tucked into the waistband, underwear or pants. Now, there may be times when you need to disconnect. Some of the reason when you have to, is when you go swimming or play sports. When you do, it is important that you also learn how to program the insulin pump, and should not go more than two hours without it. You should monitor your own blood glucose every four hours too.

Pro and Cons

Besides knowing how much does insulin pump cost, knowing the advantages and disadvantages of using an insulin pump will help a patient better decide for his right to treatment. The cost of diabetic pump is just one information and here are the others:

For the advantages, one will now have to eliminate insulin injections, and it delivers the insulin more accurately into a patient’s body. You’ll also get the benefit of fewer large blood swings in your glucose levels, and provides the delivery of bolus easier. It also allows you to exercise even with less amount of carbohydrates when you eat. For the disadvantage, at first it will require you to have a hospital stay or a whole day in an outpatient center to get trained how to use your pump, it could also cause weight gain, and is somewhat bothersome as it is attached to you most of the time, you could also be prone to diabetic ketoacidosis if catheter comes off and you don’t get insulin for hours; and the most of the disadvantages would be; is that it can be very expensive. However, the best way to get the benefit of one’s health insurance is to be able to get the average insulin pump price.