Just got two lovely letters from CVS Caremark stating that the test strips we use in ds's pump (Omnipod with Freestyle) and the insulin (humalog) will no longer be covered. Great. Just great.
Traci, did your insurance plan change recently? Ours made some changes and we had to pay $10 co-pay for Lantus last time but it was reimbursed. We had never had to pay any type of co-pay before. They said that with recent changes to many peoples insurance plans there have been alot of screw ups Have you contacted them and asked what this means? Hopefully its just another screw up and can be easily rectified
After talking to them on the phone, the strips MAY receive an over-ride if I get the dr to send in a letter. Maybe I should send in ds's math grades to show how he's not so good with numbers. It's a fight I'm certainly willing to fight. I think changing insulin will be ok, right? I mean, many here use novolog in their pumps, dont they? No Eli Lilly insulins will be covered...I wonder why that is. It's just so frustrating. My dh works for a large major corporation, but their insurance coverage has shrunk to practically nothing over the last two years. It's just hard right here at Christmas to have to deal with getting sucker punched.
I assume that I'll be getting the same notice then as we have CVS/Caremark and use the Humolog cartridges in Steven's pen. Traci, Ive heard that alot of people prefer novolog in the pumps but not sure exactly why My husband is employed by the state here and he pays more and more for insurance and they keep taking things away and refusing to authorize things I am angry for you that you have to deal with this this time of year. I hope that your endo's office can help with getting this dealt with
I had to change from humalog to novalog. On me, it was about the same response. I do know that "somewhere" on the threads, novalog is supposed to closg less, but the switch has tio cdo with the insurance contracts. If it absolutely doesn't woprk for you, you CANget an override on it also, it just takes more work.
Makes me want to ask what company. My husbands company switched to this crap insurance 2 years ago. I paid the copay for the test strips for a year and a half before I found out the prescriptions have to be put through in a certain order so we wouldn't have to pay the $75 copay. I very much dislike CVS Caremark and can't wait to go back to Blue Cross next month.
Often times they are covered under durable medical equipment. Mine are not covered via the pharmacy but they are at a hospital/medical supply company.
Traci, I got the same freakin letter... I'm a sobbing mess here about the Humalog... My D mom friends on Facebook are reassuring me it will be a smooth transition... but I'm totally freaked out about it...
We had Humalog and switched to Novolog with no issues whatsoever. I think you'll be fine...don't panic! The test strips, on the other hand...I would fight for those tooth and nail! There isn't anything else you can use with the Omnipod!
Thanks for letting me vent. I was just in tears when I read both those letters and then spent about an hour on the phone with them trying to straighten it out. Just having a few of you say you had been through the same thing made the burden easier to bear. I'm sorry we are ALL dealing with this. I personally believe companies want out of the healthcare business. If no one offers decent benefits, and given the unemployment rates, people have no where else to go. It's very sad. As an aside, it could be worse...my mother's insurance covers NO self-injections. None. They cover shots through a dr's office, but their plan doesn't cover anything that a patient injects themselves...how is that possible??? So I'll say a little thanks and just keep on breathing and smiling.:cwds:
And this is where I would have your doc write a scrip override letter. The insulin is pretty much interchangeable, we use Novo and it works perfectly fine. It floors me when I hear of and insurance company not cover strips for a meter that is paired with a pump!
I wonder if this depends on the particular plan you have with CVS/Caremark? I called them to ask if my son's Humalog would still be covered in 2012. They told me there would be no changes to his coverage. Christine
Our endo told me that Novalog is less likely to crystalize in the pump cartridge than Humalog, hence its preference for pump use. Now we use Humalog in our daughters pump, as she has a bad reaction to an inert ingredient in novalog, and we have had no problems at all
