Blood glucose meters? What makes a good one?

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Sid Post

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Oct 14, 1998
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Looking on-line at various blood glucose meters hasn't really proven too helpful. It seems like there is way to much marketing hype and not enough useful information to help someone like myself who knows essentially nothing about them.

Cost for the unit itself seems to be pretty reasonable with coupons, rebates, and sales. Do all the units have have enormous per test costs (some of them are $1 per use). Is there a convenience factor that justifies the price or are they all about the same per test cost?

If there is a good website to read up on these things, I would appreciate the link. I should also note that there is no immediate need to buy or use one in the near term personally but, diabetes is an issue with peers and casual friends so, I am doing a little research and reading up on the issue.

Thanks everyone!
 
Well I have no real experience here, but I am working in a pharmacy so I can give some insight that I have gathered there.

Basically any of the better quality machines, meaning not some ancient model by a no name maker, will be pretty close as far as accuracy goes from what I understand. All of them are pretty high in terms of per test costs, with the newer models having extra features being more expensive of course. Also the more expensive models tend to basically have things such as needing less blood to test with. Some of the better models also come with an automatic lancets making it easier to draw blood.
 
I use a Glucometer Elite XL (made by Bayer). It needs only a tiny drop of blood, produces a reading in 30 seconds. Stores a couple of hundred readings and gives you averages, etc. The cord to download the data costs a fortune, but that may have changed in the couple of years since I got mine. Maybe they use standard USB by now. The program to use the data and produce all the reports is a free download from the website.
 
I recently got the One Touch Ultra, which is about the same as mycroftt's Glucometer Elite XL, but it gives a reading in 5 seconds. The One Touch Ultra is very convenient to use. In fact, I found I can take a reading without pulling the unit out of its carrying case, which is about the size of a fat wallet.

I haven't bothered to go for the cable and software. I just note the readings on my own worksheet. After you use these for a while, you get a feel for whether your readings are about right for the that time of day, activity level, and diet. Obsessing over a computer printout won't help if your blood glucose level is high, and is a waste of time if it's under control.

Like the cost of any medication, the price per day of the test strips is best offset by a good insurance program.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Like the cost of any medication, the price per day of the test strips is best offset by a good insurance program.
Click to expand...

I am apalled by the lack of good health insurance available to me. I am told I have good health insurance but, my claims are frequently denied even when they are pre-approved by my primary care physician. I have the best plan offered at the place I work which costs me significantly. I also have to appeal almost every service I receive. I routinely get bills for over $1,000 which must be appealed formally. I have had every dirty trick played on me you can imagine to line the pockets of questionable medical facilities and "doctor's groups".

The kickbacks and multi-level pricing scheme's for services and prespscriptions would be a crime in most European nations.

rant mode off :mad:
 
Actually I am sad to say that most insurance companies won't cover the test strips. Insurance companies are horrible IMHO, and I have had way to much experience dealing with these scum even though I have never needed anything for myself. Basically they don't want to pay for anything, and you are not the only one having problems.

The thing that I think is just about the nastiest, dirtiest trick in the book is actually used by many insurance companies. They will accept the claim, and give you a copay price. The only catch is that the copay is actually pretty much the full price of the medication, and they pay under $10, if anything. This works great for them of course, you pay them for coverage AND pay for your own medication, thinking that you are saving a lot of money.
 
Back when I needed one . I used AccuCheck it was very reliable. The only irratating thing was the Accucheck idiots would call me every six months to make sure I was happy and that I was still a diabetic, and how I was doing..blah blah blah...when I was cured..by losing 70 lbs I told them to never call again cause I flushed thier dam moniter down the toilet at a rest area..( which I did)

Ren
 
What I find incomprehensible is that I had and have access to the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, where insurance companies compete for our attention by providing reasonably priced, effective insurance.

As Federal employees make up a large and diverse representation of the US population, I wonder why, if these insurers can serve us so well, they can't provide the same benefits to anyone walking in off the street?
 
Esav Benyamin said:
What I find incomprehensible is that I had and have access to the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, where insurance companies compete for our attention by providing reasonably priced, effective insurance.

As Federal employees make up a large and diverse representation of the US population, I wonder why, if these insurers can serve us so well, they can't provide the same benefits to anyone walking in off the street?
Click to expand...


The basic simple answer is money. Just as an example Temador, for certain types of brain tumors, costs us (wholesale) just under $2,000 for a five day supply(five capsules). In order for the drug to work it needs to be taken for weeks or months.
 
The Glucometer Elite has worked well for me. I have had one for 5 years and I test up to 7 times a day. Only complaint is the crappy belt pouch they make for it. I should really have someone make me a better one.
 
ErikD said:
Actually I am sad to say that most insurance companies won't cover the test strips. Insurance companies are horrible IMHO, and I have had way to much experience dealing with these scum even though I have never needed anything for myself. Basically they don't want to pay for anything, and you are not the only one having problems.

The thing that I think is just about the nastiest, dirtiest trick in the book is actually used by many insurance companies. They will accept the claim, and give you a copay price. The only catch is that the copay is actually pretty much the full price of the medication, and they pay under $10, if anything. This works great for them of course, you pay them for coverage AND pay for your own medication, thinking that you are saving a lot of money.
Click to expand...

I have Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Federal Employees Plan. If I just buy test strips over the counter and file a claim they won't pay, but if I have my doctor write a prescription for them and have the pharmacy process it like other scripts, they pay. Go figure.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
As Federal employees make up a large and diverse representation of the US population, I wonder why, if these insurers can serve us so well, they can't provide the same benefits to anyone walking in off the street?
Click to expand...

My limited experience with the European health care system was very favorable. I received excellent quality health care at a price that an average working stiff could afford without having to give up food and rent for month.

ErikD said:
The thing that I think is just about the nastiest, dirtiest trick in the book is actually used by many insurance companies. They will accept the claim, and give you a copay price. The only catch is that the copay is actually pretty much the full price of the medication, and they pay under $10, if anything. This works great for them of course, you pay them for coverage AND pay for your own medication, thinking that you are saving a lot of money.
Click to expand...

My blood pressure medicine had a $40 co-pay :eek: :eek: :eek: It was also the only one that worked.

How do you think the insurance companies come up with their "formulary's"? How can they get Amoxcillin (sp?) for $3.76 on an $8 discounted co-pay tier? :mad:

Then the insurance company altered my Social Security number so I was denied coverage. That's when I learned first hand about the multi-tiered pricing scheme they used. There were essentially three prices, highest being the inflated Co-pay price, next highest price being the "street" price with no insurance, and by mistake the pharmacy let me see the "formulary" price the insurance company actually paid.

We live in a free market society that has enabled a dramatic increase in the standard of living for most people. I am not opposed to the medical community, drug companies, and insurance companies making a fair profit. However, it seems pretty clear that some segments of the marketplace are taking advantage of the situation to profit unfairly. As much as I hate to admit it, government regulation may be required to stop the price gouging and out right greed some parts of the marketplace are demonstrating.

The Europeans seem to have the cost structure under control. Why should a prescription in the USA cost so much more then the same exact drug in Europe. A coworker friend of mine had the company he worked for bought out. They changed insurance companies and that contract did not cover diabetic supplies - nothing - none - zilch. His take home pay took a drastic cut because he had no choice but to pay out of his own pocket to keep his wife healthy. They lost a good long term employee.

rant mode off, again :mad:






Thanks everyone for the feedback on the blood glucose testers so far.

It sounds like all the modern units are pretty competitive with each other. Differences are pretty minor and costs for use are similar. I hope insurance covers those that need them.

I stumbled across a Canadian government website that had some pretty good non-commercial information on diabetes in general. It was nice reading something that wasn't laced with commercial interests.
 
One of the biggest parts of deciding what is on any plans formulary is what drug companies the insurance company works with. From the perspective of a pharmacy we are looking at who is behind the insurance company actually paying, not the insurance company itself. There are a few big names here, and they mostly make deals with drug companies. The drug companies will give the insurance clearing houses discounts on the drugs they make. So the insurance will put those drugs on the formulary sheet because they get some money back from the drug company.

Generics are a whole nother ball game though. Amoxicillin is probably one of the cheapest drugs available. Without checking I would say the wholsale cost is easily less than $30 or so for bottles of 500 capsules. Other generics can be even cheaper, so the way the payments and copays are decided is entierly different. Generic prices can also vary widely depending on which manufacturer you are looking at. So inmost cases the insurance company will have decided on what the most they will pay for the drug is, and then make you pay your part of the copay for that price. In many cases for the cheaper generic drugs the actual price won't be based on the cost of the drug, btsome "lowest price" set by the pharmacy. So for example the price of 10 amoxicillin would be the same as 30 in most cases.

While in my experience most insurance won't cover any OTC items, some will depending on what plan you are on. The only real way to tell is to get the doctor to wirte you prescriptions and try to have them filled. The only bad part is that if it is covered it will likely only be some model selected by the insurance company, and not the model you would want.
 
Hi All-

I have a member of my family who prefers the One Touch Ultra because it is compact, uses a tiny drop of blood, and provides results in five seconds. Her first meter years ago required forty-five seconds while the second one required thirty seconds. It seems the better units can determine the glucose level faster.

~ Blue Jays ~
 
Blue Jays said:
Hi All-

I have a member of my family who prefers the One Touch Ultra because it is compact, uses a tiny drop of blood, and provides results in five seconds. Her first meter years ago required forty-five seconds while the second one required thirty seconds. It seems the better units can determine the glucose level faster.

~ Blue Jays ~
Click to expand...

It is a mistake to link the quality of the meter to the speed of the results. The only valid conclusion you can draw in comparing a 30 second result and a 5 second result is that the 5 second machine is FASTER - it is not necessarily BETTER. It is certainly more convenient to get a fast result but the really important thing is to get consistently accurate results.

There's always a lot of discussion of meters on alt.support.diabetes. I've read good reports on Accu-Check, One Touch, and Glucometer Elite. I've read more reports of suspect readings in the Accu-Check than the others, but remember that these are just regular folks reporting their experiences and are definitely NOT controlled laboratory experiments.
 
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