What a racket diabetes is

[spinbaby]

In the sort of vague clueless way of someone who doesn't have the disease, I had heard that diabetes supplies cost a lot. But just now on TV I saw an ad for some blood sugar meter. The message was: switch to our meter and save $600 on the co-pay for your test strips this year.

Save $600? On the CO-PAY? For little strips of paper infused with chemicals? How the hell do little strips of paper infused with chemicals even manage to cost more than $600 a year?

[foxfeet]

1. That's where they get you. They often give the meters away for free.

[WeDidIt]

2. Why do you think we never hear about CURES for diseases like Diabetes?

There's no money in cures.

There's only money in TREATMENTS.

[spinbaby]

3. And lots of processed food to encourage diabetes

Total racket.

[Avalux]

4. Actually, I am working on a cure for Type 1 Diabetes right now.

We've given the IV drug to 5 newly diagnosed people so far and it seems to have reversed their diabetes. Turns the pancreas back "on" and they don't need insulin anymore. Only time will tell if it's permanent, but the results so far are very exciting. Can't give any more details for confidentiality reasons. :hi:

[dflprincess]

6. And hopefully stem cells

though that could be years away.

What you're talking about sounds really exciting.

[defendandprotect]

9. Wow . . . good news!! Good luck!!

[Bennyboy]

12. wow, that would change everything...

My dad had dieabetes (I fortunately do not)and he was so sketchy on hsi meds and condition all the time....

[a la izquierda]

24. My late father in law was exactly the same.

Rarely tested, stashed donuts under his bed (to the dismay of my mother in law). And diabetes prevented him from really recovering after a stroke.

Thankfully, my husband doesn't have the disease...but he's in phenomenal shape at 35. Needless to say, diabetes and stroke are on his radar at this point.

[Hekate]

16. How wonderful, Avalux. Best of luck to you and your team. nt

[jody]

19. Thanks for the encouragement, I have several friends who will benefit from such breakthroughs. n/t

[truedelphi]

20. This is wonderful news. I am happy for

Everyone working on it and everyone who may benefit from removing diabetes from their life!

[Vidar]

25. Bless you for your efforts on this.

[madokie]

28. Thats great

I wish that we were where it was possible and you would allow me too, give you a big O :hug:

[Posteritatis]

14. Right, the monolithic entirety-of-science will never work on cures for it oh wait. (nt)

[jmm]

I loved Chris Rock's rant on this issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7P4iFg048k


Of course there are some attempts at cures but that's not where the biggest profit is.

[Sebastian Doyle]

5. Yep.... Monsanto and ADM make Billions on the poison that causes it.

And the Pharma companies make Billions on the pills, insulin, and meters. Definitely a racket.

[pipi_k]

7. That's why some diabetics

only check their glucose a couple of times a day when they should be checking before and after meals, before driving, and at bedtime, for starters.

Mr Pip is a Type II and if our insurance didn't pay for most of the cost of his test strips he'd be up the creek.

In fact, there have been times when he's had severe hypoglycemic episodes and we've had to check his glucose every 10 to 15 minutes for two hours. I tell you, there's something extremely frightening about seeing a person's blood glucose level drop to 29 and hover there for 45 minutes before rising...

:(


PS...we are very rural and I now have three or four glucagon injection kits in case it happens again.

[IDemo]

8. Think printers and ink; selling the consumables is where the profit is

I'm approaching my 50th year with Type 1 and test 6 or 7 times daily. The strips I use cost nearly a buck apiece over the counter. Luckily I've got
health insurance but many are not so fortunate. I agree that it's a scam, the R&D cost of developing these strips can no longer justify the cost.

[Greyhound]

10. We learned after that idiot Salk went and cured our cash cow disease

back in 1955. He damn near killed the March of dimes with his fancy cure.

Rest assured that is one mistake we won't be making again. There's gold in alleviating symptoms and managing disease, cures are a dead loss.
:sarcasm:

[pdxmom]

11. I have just recently been diagnosed with beginning stages of diabetes. Not

insulin dependent and only have to check my blood once a day, as a monitor of my diet. With my gold-plated insurance, my co-pay for 51 test strips is $40. That lasts me 2 1/2 months. Imagine if, like my mother, I had to test 3 times a day. Or my friend who tests at least 5 times a day. The costs are outrageous, and I really don't understand what keeps the costs that high...other than it's necessary and so therefore, they can.

[PADemD]

13. "A Cure for Diabetes?"

http://www.informationaboutdiabetes.com/cure-diabetes-58.html

[Hekate]

15. You should see what supplies for a CPAP (sleep apnea) machine cost. Made of the cheapest materials

... before I started getting "priceless" statements, I saw that Blue Cross was being recharged $60 for a 6-foot piece of tubing for the air to go through and $12 for a pair of very small disposable dust-filters that have to be tossed every two weeks. And so it went, through mask and cushion and so on -- outrageous prices for these items on a scale that makes this medically necessary item unaffordable for anyone without insurance.

My question -- which remains unanswered -- is why in hell doesn't giant Blue Cross demand a better deal?

Our Third World health care access system is pretty corrupt, imo, and people are getting sicker and dying of it.

Hekate

[jody]

18. "why in hell doesn't giant Blue Cross demand a better deal?" Don't know but in general insurance co.

are allowed a fixed percent of their total revenue, I believe, so that under such an arrangement their profits would increase as costs increase.

I hope someone proves my conjecture above to be 100% wrong.

[backscatter712]

26. Because providers get paid about 20% of what they charge.

Doesn't matter if they're hospitals, pharmcos or CPAP machine makers.

That bill you got for the $60 tube? Your insurance company only paid $12 for it. $12 dust filters only set the insurer about $2.50,

That's the thing. But if you're uninsured and get hit with a big medical emergency, the providers hit you with the same insanely overinflated bills, but this time, you don't have the clout that the insurers do, so if you say "I'll only pay 20%", they sue your ass and take your house.

[jody]

17. Each test requires a test-strip, new lancet, new alcohol swab and a person may make several tests

each day.

Of course the lancet can be used several times and a bottle of alcohol and gauze is cheaper than separately packaged swabs.

Together, the recommended material and number of tests per day can be very expensive.

It's a racket of the worst sort and certain groups have pushed to lower the threshold for Type II diabetes just IMO to sell supplies to people that are not truly diabetic.

For those who do suffer from diabetes, they deserve all the medical support they need.

[patriotproud]

21. copay costs are relative

A $40 copay may seem trivial but all discussion of this issue should be done in light of the fact that most diabetes sufferers are elderly and many, like my neighbor, live on social security of around $600 a month.

[handmade34]

22. diabetes is not the racket

the people/companies using it to make tons of money are the racket. Processed food is the biggest culprit for type2.

[spinbaby]

23. I worded that badly

Selling diabetes supplies is the racket.

[hayu_lol]

27. Have read a few items recently...

that show stem cell research making some breakthroughs. Patients who are on oral insulin, treated with the new stem cell material, have been able to eliminate the need for additional insulin.

[madmom]

29. I know you all aren't going to want to here this, but, I get my strips at

Walmart. I get 50 strips for $20. The ReliOn brand, the meter costs under $10, I forget exactly how much, it's been to long since I bought mine. They work just fine.