Insulin Essence Supplies & Insurance Companies: Curt Changed Inward Translation

 This post re: Insulin heart supplies too wellness insurance B.S. is a fleck long, but I retrieve it's of import & I hope yous create besides

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At the halt of Dec too after a string of iffy (and yesteryear iffy I’m talking nearly the viscid purpose non beingness thus sticking) infusion sets, I called upwards Medtronic’s Customer Service, told them the issues I was having too provided them amongst infusion prepare box lot number.  Medtronic listened to my complaints, sympathized amongst them too after a serial of questions regarding the LOT & REF numbers too infusion prepare insertion, rectified the province of affairs IMMEDIATELY yesteryear sending me a box of replacement infusion sets, gratuitous of charge.

1. I understand that things laissez passer on sometimes inwards life too amongst supplies - I totally larn it. 
2. I genuinely appreciated the fact that Medtronic CS listened to my issues & analyzed the work and sent me out a novel box of supplies.
3. The novel box of infusion sets worked similar a charm. 

Sidebar: Regardless of your heart brand/CGM/test strip/insulin brand, if you’re having issues amongst anything - yous demand to allow the fellowship know what’s going on. They can’t assist yous if yous don’t selection upwards the phone. Also, they desire to document whatever issues their customers are having & create the problem, ASAP.
If yous don't tell them you're having issues, how are they going to know too and then create said issues? 

In mid Jan I received my tri monthly social club of heart supplies from Medtronic.
I cracked opened upwards the box too instead of emptying it out similar I usually would, I decided to larn all organized ( my friend Susan Weiner would live proud), took out the bubble wind too placed the opened box of replacement infusion sets from Dec inwards the box, along amongst ii extra boxes of insulin reservoirs a friend had given me after she decided to become on a heart vacation. 

My heart supplies were all organized too I felt good.
Every few days I’d accomplish inwards the box too select grip of a novel infusion site too reservoir - Easy peesy.
Two weeks agone I had my CDE fax my RX to medtronic because my novel RX had been due mid May. 
Cut early on lastly calendar week when I noticed that I was REALLY depression on infusion sites - And yesteryear depression I hateful less too then 10 infusion sites remained - fifty-fifty after going through all my paw bags too retrieving the spare infusion prepare I construct a habit of keeping inwards each. 
And I was like: WOW, this is REALLY weird. 
Thursday afternoon I called Medtronic to reckon when my heart supplies were beingness shipped too works life out several things.

1. My provide ship engagement is 6/25/14 
2. As of Jan 1, my insurance fellowship no longer covers iv boxes each of infusion sets too reservoirs, solely 3 boxes of each - And forthwith require me to pay a copay for each order. 
3. Apparently, many insurance companies are beingness "stricter" regarding what a 3 calendar month diabetes supply genuinely consists of across the board. So fifty-fifty though I forthwith accept a lower monthly premium too the toll of PT or chiropractor visits accept been reduced yesteryear $5, I accept much higher DME copays and deductible - And the number of supplies I have has been cutting yesteryear a quarter. 

I didn't genuinely realized the alter inwards my shipment amount because I didn’t genuinely empty the box of supplies that I received dorsum inwards January.

Did I freak? Yep, I did - And I asked to speak amongst a CS Manager.
To Medtronic’s credit, a CS Manager called me dorsum that afternoon, but of course of teaching I missed the call. The CS Manager was diligent and after non hearing from me on Thursday, she called me dorsum on Fri morn too was real helpful. More on that later.

My side yesteryear side telephone phone was to my Health Insurance company's Complaint’s & Appeals Analyst (there’s been thus many issues w/my insurance that I’m genuinely inwards possession of a C & Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 ‘s straight number too yous know I utilization it), too nosotros talked for 20 minutes. 
I attempted to explicate why a 3 calendar month provide of insulin heart infusion sets should indeed comprise 4 boxes (same goes for reservoirs,) similar I’ve been receiving every 3 months for the yesteryear xi years, too non the 3 boxes they late decided was enough.

I stated that shortening my social club was going to toll us both extra coin inwards the cast of Lantus too needles. And too then I did the math too broke downward how 3 boxes of infusion sets didn’t equal a 3 calendar month provide - And Explained  how the 3-day infusion prepare dominion isn't a given for a multitude of reasons too that wiggle room is demand for very important and existent reasons. 
Reasons like: Sometimes the viscid purpose doesn’t rest stuck, how too why scar tissue develops too doesn’t nurture it’s ugly caput until a brace hours after the infusion site’s inwards house too resulting inwards us having to starting fourth dimension from scratch amongst a novel infusion site too set. 
I gave her the play-by-play of how doorknobs reek havoc amongst tubing too the idiosyncrasies of thigh infusion sites.  
I pointed out how SPANKS tin non solely assist inwards flattening your belly, but accept the mightiness to kill a construct novel too otherwise perfectly adept infusion site inwards less than vi hours. 
I pointed out that during the summer, many who article of apparel insulin pumps solely fill upwards their reservoirs one-half total because during a heatwave the insulin inwards the heart tin become bad & that it's to a greater extent than toll effective to throw out a reservoir that's less than 1/2 total too then tossing 3/4 total ane inwards the trash. 

The C&A knew what an insulin heart was, but she had absolutely no catch how it worked or  all that accompanied genuinely wearing ane - And she was floored. She promised to accomplish out to Horizon’s Pharmacy Rep too larn dorsum to me. 
After our conversation I decided visuals were inwards social club thus I emailed her pictures of my electrical flow insulin heart infusion belly site too what an insulin reservoir looks within the heart too side yesteryear side to the pump. 

Photo 1 - Showing just what an infusion prepare site looks like. including tubing & reservoir 

Showing what an insulin heart reservoir looks similar side yesteryear side to the pumpSidebar: I'm non a fan of sending pictures of my belly to anyone &THANK GOD I was working out of the describe solid lastly Th & Fri because it was fourth dimension consuming too I worked until 7pm each nighttime to construct upwards the time.

The C&A called me dorsum on Fri morn to give me an update re: claims that Horizon had finally paid from 2013 (don't fifty-fifty larn me started,) too and then I asked if she’d received my emails. 

C&A: YES, They genuinely really helped,  they helped me to understand what yous meant when yous explained what the supplies did too how they work. I’ve forwarded them to the Pharmacy Rep too hopefully I volition accept an respond for yous soon. 

Like I mentioned previously inwards this post, Medtronic’s CS Manager called me dorsum on Friday  - And she was great. I explained the province of affairs too how I wouldn’t accept plenty infusion sets to lastly me until June 25th. 

I mentioned having to become dorsum on shots too how Lantus had a wicked tail too that I was playing telephone tag amongst my wellness insurance fellowship to create the province of affairs too had placed a telephone phone into my CDE

The Medtronic CS Manager told me that she’d transportation me out but about infusion sets to assist me construct it through the calendar week too they would become far Mon morning. 

And they arrived Mon morn but similar she said they would.

So forthwith I hold off too popular off on my fingers crossed. And fifty-fifty though I forthwith accept extra backups, I'm beingness careful amongst my remaining  infusion sets. 

Here's the thing: I shouldn't accept to. 

Yesterday I was running inwards the mid 180’s all twenty-four hr menses too I knew it was because of my infusion set. I finally changed it out lastly nighttime earlier dinner - And I didn't desire to. 

I shouldn’t accept to wait, nor should I accept to compromise when it comes to my wellness - both long term too curt for fearfulness of running out of supplies. Non of us should. All of our lives too lineament of life amongst diabetes depend on maintaining adept numbers - And  personally, I pay a lot for my wellness insurance inwards social club to create that. 

I don’t understand how insurance companies, who don’t genuinely understand how pumps too infusion sets/reservoirs work, accept the mightiness to determine what 3 months worth of insulin heart supplies genuinely consists of. I don't understand why nosotros accept to treat everything when it comes to insurance - But I  know I won't stop fighting when it comes to my health, or yours. 

So accept yous encountered issues amongst what your wellness insurance volition and won't comprehend since Jan 1, 2014 too if so, how are yous dealing amongst it?