Diabetes is a chronic disease. Chronic…as in the rest of my life (or until they find a cure, whichever comes first). That means I will have quarterly doctor’s visits and laboratory tests; monthly refills of insulin, pump supplies, and testing strips; and annual eye exams for the next 50 or so odd years (I hope). It sucks, but it is what I have to do in order to control my diabetes and ensure that I live a long life. It costs a lot. I’m an expensive woman in a number of ways, but my disease “management” is definitely the most extravagant item in our budget. I always tease Kyle that he would be a very wealthy man if he didn’t have me in his life.

The thing that bothers me, though, is that if I did not control my diabetes, the resulting complications (like blindness, amputations, kidney failure, dialysis, heart disease, stroke, etc.) would cost a hell of a lot more, but it seems that insurance companies would rather pay for the big ticket items than help you out with the costs of preventing them.  There is some evidence that the trend is changing, and that preventative medicine is being covered more readily and promoted as a means to avoid the rising costs of health care, but that’s mostly centered around weight loss and exercise. You can’t do anything to “prevent” type 1 diabetes, but you can do a hell of a lot to prevent the complications that can result from it.

The point of all of this is that our insurance is going to be changing as of June 1st, and I am scared as hell. We are lucky to have really good coverage (at least in relation to what other people have), and even though the coverage will probably remain the same…the payment process will be different (my understanding is that we pay first and then get reimbursed a percentage later, so it’s going to cost a lot more up front). I had the job of collecting all of my “explanation of benefits” forms and I thought I’d give you the rundown of the cost of diabetes if I paid out of pocket (which would be damn near impossible to do):

Endocrinologist visits: $127.00 (4 times a year) = $508

Insulin pump supplies (infusion sets, tubing, reservoirs): $596.00 (4 times a year) = $2384

Testing strips = about $300 a month = $3600

Insulin = about $160 a month = $1920

Cost of insulin pump itself = $6000 (yes, there are 3 zeros behind the 6), which gets upgraded with additional cost about every 4 years

(I’m leaving out the cost of the laboratory testing because I don’t have accurate figures in front of me, and I’m also not certain on the cost of my eye exam).

So let’s see what that adds up to for last year alone (I’m leaving out my 5 day hospitalization because that hopefully won’t be a recurring cost for the rest of my life).

$14,412, which would average out to be around $10,000 a year once you take the pump cost away

Our new insurance plan has an out of pocket cap at $3500 for the whole family, which is a pretty good savings when compared to the alternative (I’m just nervous about reaching the limit within the first 3 months).

There are ways I could save money, but I’m not willing to do them just yet.

I could stop pumping and save the cost of pump supplies, but the pump is my best friend. It gives me freedom, and it allows me to run marathons and eat ice cream and take my kids to really cool places while staying in control. I’m not willing to go back to injecting myself 5+ times a day…lugging around syringes…averting stares while I “dial it up” and stab myself under the table…praying that my food will get there before the insulin takes effect…aiming the needle at my stomach (or arm, or thigh) 5 times before I muster the courage to stick it in (I still despise needles, and with the pump I only have to look at one every 3 days or so).

I could also decrease my testing to 4-6 times a day, as opposed to my current 8-10, but I run. I need to test often so that I know how my sugars are changing. I need to be in control. There are days my sugar can go from 200 down to 60 in an hour…I need to be prepared.

I could stop running. Ha…that’s never going to happen.

I guess I just have to be grateful that I have any insurance at all, that I’m blessed to wear an insulin pump, that I’m healthy and strong even with this annoying monkey on my back, that I’m worth the $10,000 a year it takes to keep me here. Even though Kyle would be rich without me, I know he would pay a hell of a lot more than that to keep me in his life (he doesn’t enjoy doing housework).