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I have a good friend who is type 1 diabetic. Her 1 year term at a university elsewhere ran out, and obtained a job elsewhere. Both have insurance. But the insu

I have a good friend who is type 1 diabetic. Her 1 year term at a university elsewhere ran out, and obtained a job elsewhere. Both have insurance. But the insurance is the problem... Let me explain. Since she's T1, she takes insulin. There's different types of insulin. Fast acting, slow acting, and various compounds and mixtures of each. In her case, she was prescribed Humalog, and has taken it for the last few years. On Jan 1, at the start of her new job, the job offered a different insurance. Humalog was considered an "Uncovered drug". In other words, this maybe what the doctor prescribed, and what your body is used to - but the insurance company is the primary "doctor" that makes medical decisions above and beyond your PCP. She didn't have much choice. She went on an insulin that was "covered". The insurance said it was "virtually the same". Bullshit. She took too much the 3rd day and had to take the day off, while asking friends to check up on her. Diabetic comas and death are a thing. She's never had that happen before. (Her A1C stays around 5.1-5.2 , which is impressive for any diabetic.)

dfraser992 9y ago
I'm not going to argue with you about "the insurance company is the primary "doctor" that makes medical decisions above and beyond your PCP." They certainly shouldn't be. But unless she is some rare outlier (I would need a bunch more information about the situation), their stance is logical and acceptable. My first impression, and I certainly may be wrong, is that anyone with a 5.1 HbA1c is controlling things a bit too tight. Her life, I won't argue, but switching insulins is not that precarious. Source: me, diabetic for 30 years now. Hell, I've fasted (no food) for 3 weeks and am still alive... In the grand scheme of things, my attitude is eking out a year or two at most at the end of your life due to totally tight control over 30, 40 years is not worth the effort. Losing weight and eating more vegetables (and less carbs) is more important.

dfraser992 9y ago

I'm not going to argue with you about "the insurance company is the primary "doctor" that makes medical decisions above and beyond your PCP." They certainly shouldn't be. But unless she is some rare outlier (I would need a bunch more information about the situation), their stance is logical and acceptable. My first impression, and I certainly may be wrong, is that anyone with a 5.1 HbA1c is controlling things a bit too tight. Her life, I won't argue, but switching insulins is not that precarious. Source: me, diabetic for 30 years now. Hell, I've fasted (no food) for 3 weeks and am still alive... In the grand scheme of things, my attitude is eking out a year or two at most at the end of your life due to totally tight control over 30, 40 years is not worth the effort. Losing weight and eating more vegetables (and less carbs) is more important.