Diabetic Guide to Better Living

An Informational Resource for Seniors with Diabetes

Learn how the proper diagnosis, lifestyle changes & diabetic supplies can change your life. While there is no known cure for this disease, there are healthy ways to manage it & prevent diabetes altogether.

Topics: Diabetic Supplies

5 Diabetic Medical Supplies Every Diabetic Should Have on Hand

If you’re diabetic, managing your disease has become a daily way of life. Having enough of certain kinds of diabetic medical supplies on hand can prevent you from running out of them. Additionally, knowing they’re readily available can help prevent stress that might affect your diabetes.

The good news is that if you qualify for Medicare and select Part B and D, you might be able to obtain many of these diabetic medical supplies for free. The bad news is that Medicare might not pay for enough of them to prevent you from running out. If you’re not covered by Medicare, you’ll probably have to pay for diabetic medical supplies on your own dime. However, many companies offer discount diabetic supplies. You can save money by purchasing them from the specific companies.

Depending on whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, the following are some diabetic medical supplies you should always have on hand:

·         Alcohol Swabs

Swabs made for diabetics who inject insulin are different from normal swabs. Alcohol swabs, though, aren’t covered by Part B Medicare. If you select one of the insurance medical plans offered in Part D Medicare, make sure it covers alcohol swabs. If you don’t have Medicare, you can buy alcohol swabs at a discount from companies that sell diabetic medical supplies.



·         Control Solutions

If you can’t trust your glucose meter, what can you trust? Control solution for testing the accuracy of your glucose monitor is one of those diabetic medical supplies you can’t do without. Control solutions are covered by Part B Medicare. If you don’t have Medicare, you can buy them at a discount from a company that sells discount diabetic supplies.

·         Glucose Test Strips

Glucose test strips are one of the most essential of diabetic medical supplies. And you can’t necessarily rely on Medicare to pay for all you need. If you have type 1 diabetes, Medicare will cover up to 100 glucose test strips per month. Under certain conditions, it will pay for more. If you have type 2 diabetes, Medicare will cover 100 glucose test strips every three months. To ensure peace of mind, be sure to have more glucose test strips on hand than you need.

·         Lancets

Lancets, too, are one of the most essential of diabetic medical supplies. And Medicare might not supply all you need for free, either. If you have type 1 diabetes, Medicare will cover up to 100 lancets per month. Under certain conditions, it will pay for more. If you have type 2 diabetes, Medicare will cover 100 lancets every three months. To ensure peace of mind, always have more lancets on hand than you need.

·         Syringes

If you have type 1 diabetes and inject insulin, syringes are among your most crucial diabetic medical supplies to have available. Part B Medicare doesn’t cover syringes. If you select one of the insurance medical plans offered in Part D Medicare, carefully examine its coverage of syringes. You can buy extra syringes at a discount from companies that sell discount diabetic supplies.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Leave a Reply

© 2009 DiabeticSeniors.com — This information is not designed to replace a doctor’s judgment about the specific solution for your particular condition.