[Diabetes-talk] New York State Medicaid not paying for Prodigy or Solo Meter Supplies

[cheryl echevarria]

Good morning all:

As of last night during our monthly NY State DAN Teleconference we have found out that Medicaid in NY State has stopped paying for Prodigy and Solo Meter strips, etc.

Also, some of the HMOs and Private insurance companies as well.

This is a very serious issue, and we need to find out if this is happening in other states as well.

I was not at National last year, but we do have a resolution in place.

My thing is that this should be front and center on anything that we should be doing this year, if we are sick and dying because we cannot get our medications or take care of ourselves, the education and braille and all else will not count. We need to be well and healthy so that we can fight for the education, jobs and other things that we seek.

Remember the #1 Cause of Blindness in this country is Diabetes.

I am one of those people who at the age of 35 lost 85 percent of her vision from Juvenile Diabetes, losing my kidneys at the same time to Diabetes, Heart Attack due to Diabetes, Neuropathy and so on.

We all need to stick together whether we use Prodigy, Solo Meter or any other medical equipment out there that the sighted can use, but we cannot.

Please respond. Let us know what state you are in what insurance you have, and when did this start.  
Resolution 2010-13
Regarding Insurance Coverage of Accessible Equipment for Diabetics
WHEREAS, standard medical treatment for diabetics calls for the patient to monitor blood glucose levels so that he or she can make adjustments in the amount of insulin needed; and 

WHEREAS, certain health insurance plans dictate what brand of diabetic equipment a member must use to comply with the treatment regimen, claiming that this strategy controls costs for both the insurer and the insured; and 

WHEREAS, most insurance companies contract strictly with one manufacturer, who typically provides only inaccessible blood glucose meters and inaccessible insulin injection devices, presenting a serious obstacle to complying with the testing regimen for tens of thousands of blind people with diabetes; and 

WHEREAS, the failure to place accessible blood glucose meters and accessible insulin injection devices on the insurers' formulary lists not only is a barrier to independence for blind diabetics, but also adversely affects their quality of life because of the added difficulties they must confront in attempting to manage and control their diabetes; and 

WHEREAS, the only way blind diabetics can acquire an accessible blood glucose meter or accessible insulin injection device is through a long and complicated process of submitting extensive medical documentation, and approval is not guaranteed; and 

WHEREAS, blind people have the same right to health care as their sighted peers; and 

WHEREAS, insurance companies must no longer be allowed to discriminate against blind people because of their need for specialized equipment; and 

WHEREAS, the denial of accessible equipment by insurance companies undermines the emphasis on preventive care set forth in the 2010 federal healthcare reform legislation: Now, therefore, 

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind in Convention assembled this seventh day of July, 2010, in the city of Dallas, Texas, that this organization strongly urge the secretary of health and human services to eliminate discrimination against the blind by requiring that Medicare, Medicaid, and all other medical insurance programs under the secretary's jurisdiction cover accessible equipment for diabetics; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization strongly urge state legislatures and regulators to eliminate discrimination against the blind by requiring private medical insurance companies to cover accessible equipment for diabetics.

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Cheryl Echevarria
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