Type 1 Diabetes: Something Went Right With My Medication Refill!

You know the feeling when everything seems to be going wrong, and you are becoming more and more pessimistic by the second? I used to feel that way whenever I refilled my medications. I’d find myself bracing for the total and holding back tears when I thought about how much it costs to stay alive with my Type 1 diabetes. I found a good surprise this last time that shocked me more than anything had in the past 21 years.

I was on the phone with my mail order pharmacy, and the gentleman was about to give me the total. I held my pen poised on my checkbook register, ready to deduct the amount as I held my breath. “Your total today is sixty-three dollars,” said the phone representative. “I’m sorry, what is the total?” I stammered, thinking I must have missed a digit. “Sixty-three dollars,” he repeated. I almost fell off the sofa. I went through with my payment and thought, “Yeah, we’ll see about that when I get the statement. There was no way it could be sixty-three dollars; he must have made a mistake.” I usually end up owing around $300 – $500 during medication refills!

I had new insurance as of January and can tell you that during more than two decades of life with Type 1 diabetes, I have never, ever, seen things get less expensive with my medications. Insulin is expensive, and my out-of-pocket costs had been steadily rising over the years. We are simply people trying to stay alive and healthy. It always struck me as grossly unfair that our costs were skyrocketing year after year. I know that the savings are happening because my employer has chosen a better plan for my needs this year. I simply didn’t believe better plans existed anymore! I’ve been through so many years of price hikes that I was in disbelief that there would ever be any relief. I felt like I won the lottery. I am beyond grateful that I get this break in diabetes supply costs and am hopeful that my employer keeps this plan beyond this calendar year.

Usually, we speak about the difficulties of life with diabetes, and let’s face it, there are many. I thought it would be a nice change to tell you something that went well. I hope I am not the only one experiencing lower out-of-pocket diabetes costs this year. I know how crippling it can be to pay for our supplies. It’s a toss of the dice when we depend on our employers to pick good healthcare plans for us, and we don’t have a say. I pay a lot for my healthcare plan, but I couldn’t be more thankful for it this year. These savings will allow me to cover other hardships that aren’t necessarily diabetes related, for example, hello tax time!

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