Outrageous cost of test strips

Prior to getting married my copay was ridiculous. Instead of using the meter my endo prescribed I went to Walmart and purchased a reli on meter with the prime test strips which only cost 9 dollars.for 50 test strips. Much better deal than my copay

Before I got the meter through the insurance I paid $36 exactly for the Walmart brand and that was everything. The test strips are only $9 50. It's not the best. I feel like I have to chase the blood around my finger but it's not too expensive.

Try ebay I've found mine on there for really cheap

Mine is $35 for strips and $5 for lancets ...

My insurance covers them at 100% as well as the unit and lancets. I've looked how much they cost out of pocket- so expensive. I'm in a gestational diabetes program, and if I wouldn't have gotten them for free or had a hard time obtaining them, they would have given them to me. Maybe ask your dr if your local hospital has a program? I see a nutritionist every other week for it, so more appointments in addition to my 2x/week dr but they are really supportive- it's worth it.

I did have to go a few days without testing. I changed insurance companies and had to get a whole new meter, lancets and test strips. And it was a holiday weekend so no one could help me. I agree though, the meter is the cheap part, my mom has type 2 diabetes and her test strips are over $100!

@ferrarisparkle You're prob right, but I still have a bunch of lancets to use up. But I think the next time I run out of supplies I'll just spring for the Relion device/lancets/test strips.

You can buy the reli on device for under 20 dollars. Thecheaper test strips make up for theprice in the long run.

I think I do need to call the pharmacy. I just came back from Walmart and the same EXACT device I purchased at CVS (One Touch Ultra) was $20 at Walmart, and the lancets (super pricey brand, I guess) were at most like $68...so I really don't know how CVS got off charging me $144 for everything a few weeks ago. I was naive & didn't realize all of this could be purchased over the counter. I feel like I've been taken a fool.

PS- would've loved to have bought everything in Relion brand originally but now I have the One Touch device and the Relion strips are not compatible, apparently.

My mom is diabetic and told me that most likely they will give me a glucometer because the strips are outrageously expensive. I was just diagnosed on Friday and meet my nutritionist tomorrow, so we'll see...

It seems crazy to me that there can be a such a huge difference from name brand to store brand... Just one more thing I guess.

Holy cow that's a lot! I pay 30 each time for them and I still complain that's too much. S

I would call and talk to your pharmacist and insurance. The pharmacy tried charging me 139 for my strips last week when they had been completely covered. I called my insurance when I got home and they told me to have the pharmacist call the help line and ask why it was so high. Apparently they switched to a new coding system last week and they needed to change the code. I went back and picked up my strips ($0 out of pocket).

I'll definitely look into that Relion brand! Thanks for the tip!

I'm going to ask my midwife on Thursday if they have any leftover strips I can use.

Does your doctor or midwife's office maybe have leftovers? If I have any leftover I was planning on giving them back to my dietician' office so someone else could use them.

I use the store brand from walmart called relion. It was much cheaper to get that than to get a one touch meter and test strips that would of cost tons! I think I paid like $40 or maybe less for the meter and then the test strips are only $9 for a 50 ct. And my nutritionist said all the meters are basically the same with the same range. So I would definitely look at maybe using a store brand system it's a lot cheaper!

Thanks for understanding, ladies! Definitely a stressful factor. My due date is in 41 days, so I am fairly close. I just price compared the One Touch strips on Amazon/Walmart and Amazon actually wins, so I ordered a box of 50ct for $35 (free shipping with prime) so I have it in a few days. Maybe my midwife's office will have a few samples to give me in the meantime.

I work in health insurance and also have a high deductible.

How far along are you? Mine are cheaper by doing a 90-day mail order supply. Also check with your Rx coverage and see if they have alternatives that are more cost-effective.

I have a high deductible health plan as well and get bills for visits, lab work, etc. I do freak out over it, but just figure that when I deliver I won't have much left for my out of pocket maximum considering hospital stays are thousands and thousands of dollars.

P.S. I paid $70 for a 17 day supply. I almost died when the pharmacist told me that. Turned out that they were supposed to call my insurance for a prior authorization and didn't.

I was just curious the other day & my replacement test strips are $144 over the counter (100ct). When I was talking with the pharmacist (Kroger) she said their testers are like $10 and the strips are fractions of the cost of the name brands! I would definitely check all brands because you'll probably be better off buying a new generic tester & strips!

Crazy, right? The nurse did also rec checking Walmart for their over-the-counter strips...so I might go there tom. I really don't want to take any risks with this pregnancy, but at the same time I feel like my numbers have been great so far so I may have to end up testing every other day or something- when I (hopefully) find a cheaper set of test strips.

Mine are $30, I'm irritated with that. I don't have that extra right now, I still need a ton for baby.

Super frustrating!

Oh my gosh! What kind of glucose monster are you using? How many strips are they giving you for that price? My insurance covers everything but I have peaked at the cost of strips and lancets in Walmart and they are no where near that price