Living with Type 2 diabetes is expensive. All of your doctor's appointments, medications, and supplies can add up. In fact, people with Type 2 diabetes spend an average of over $13,000 per year on medical expenses - which is over twice as much as people without diabetes spend. If you're living with diabetes and facing these high costs, there are some resources that can help.First of all, making sure you have good health insurance is important. Options for health insurance include private insurance and government health insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid. In the past, people diagnosed with diabetes sometimes had trouble getting health insurance because insurance companies could deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. The 2014 Affordable Care Act has made it so insurance companies can no longer deny coverage or charge higher rates for pre-existing conditions.In addition to regular health insurance, there are other federal programs that provide financial resources to people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Each of these programs has different guidelines for qualifying.
the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) operates hospitals and clinics for veterans. The VA also provides financial assistance.
TRICARE is a type of health insurance available to active military members, retirees, and their family members.
Indian Health Service provides assistance to members of American Indian or Alaskan Native tribes.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a federal insurance plan that provides financial assistance to people who are unable to work because of illness or injury.
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides healthy food and education to pregnant women and mothers of children up to five years old.
Other organizations who may be able to give financial help are city or county health departments, state health and human services offices, and religious organizations. Local non-profit organizations who also may provide assistance are...
Lions Clubs,
Rotary Clubs,
Elks Clubs,
Kiwanis Clubs, and
Shriners Hospitals.
Some of these groups have a special focus - for example, the Lions Club focuses on assistance with vision care, which may be useful for diabetics.Talk to your doctor if you're having a hard time paying for diabetes medications. It can be tempting to take less than the prescribed amount to save money but this can lead to dangerous complications which can end up costing much more in the long run. Your doctor may be able to help you by prescribing a generic medication rather than a name brand...
giving you free samples of supplies, or
referring you to patient assistant programs.
Don't be afraid to ask for help - make sure you'll be able to have your diabetes medications or supplies.
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