Tips for the diabetic pre-med student to save some money
It turns out that there are a decent amount of medical students with medical conditions. One of the most common being diabetes. This makes sense because having a medical condition can help inspire one to want to help others going through similar experiences. I have classmates who have diabetes and multiple friends who have it, so chances are one our readers might be able to benefit from this. Even if you don’t have diabetes it is always good to be able to help someone who does even if its in a small way like this. With that here are five ways to reduce your insulin test strip bills.
As we all know it is important to manage your health properly if you want to live a prosperous, healthy, and long life. For some people, this involves consulting the doctor every now and then, eating healthy instead of junk food, and regular exercise.
If you’re someone with diabetes, you need to exercise greater care for staying healthy. Apart from monitoring your food intake, you also need to test blood sugar levels every now and then.
People with diabetes have to buy insulin test strips & other kinds of medical equipment regularly for maintaining their health in top-notch condition. But how can you save money here?
Here are some programs that can help you avail insulin test strips and other important medication at a lower rate –
- Join A Pharmacy’s Loyalty Program To Avail Discounts
A number of pharmacies provide loyalty programs, which can help you avail discounts on any medication you purchase from them. You can avail of cash discounts easily in this manner.
In some cases, you have to accumulate points, which can be earned by using a special loyalty card whenever you make a purchase at the store. Sometimes, there may be special deals or coupons available for test strips at your pharmacy.
Based on where you’re currently living in, you might be able to sign up for multiple pharmacies and avail of discounts or offers from all of them. This could be highly beneficial to you as you get to choose the best of all worlds here.
Keep checking various program promotions and offers to select one that appeals the most to you. They all have very different requirements. Therefore, it is important that you understand properly what you need for earning points before you sign up for a program.
- Search for Organizations That Are Designed Specifically For Helping Individuals
While this is no replacement for the support you can find from your county or state authorities, the premise remains the same. There are several organizations whose motto is to aid individuals who incur considerable medical expenses due to certain conditions. They can help you access supplies at affordable rates.
These organizations operate throughout the country. You can receive aid so long as you reside in the US. However, ensure that you go through all the requirements so as to avoid any surprises.
Certain organizations help only people who earn less than a specified amount. Other organizations only accept people above a prescribed age. If you’re asked, make sure you have ample proof about your financial need and condition.
Benefits Checkup and RX Outreach are great examples of such organizations. Check the conditions they evaluate to see whether you qualify or not. This can help you save a ton of money with your test strips.
- Switch To Value Brands
Most people are hesitant to purchase value brands as they believe them to be ineffective in treating their condition. As they don’t carry the same name, people tend to distrust such brands. However, an off-brand medication works much better than what most people think and is equal to its competitor in all aspects.
Choosing value brands or generic brands can help you save a lot of money while also eliminating the need to compromise on quality. When you purchase value brands instead of name brands, you get more bang for your buck and save money easily.
If your normal course of action is to purchase brand products, at least evaluate the effectiveness of a value brand before you forgo them for once and for all. You’ll be flat-out surprised at how effective they are.
- Find deals that are offered to Medicare Patients
A number of special deals are offered to people covered under Medicare. Go through your insurance terms and conditions for finding out whether you are eligible for reimbursement for purchasing test strips or whether you can save money in any way due to your Medicare coverage or you can always check out secondary markets that buy and sell diabetic test strips.
Sometimes, you will be able to save money by using mail-order pharmacies, who can send supplies to your place directly. Going this route means that you’ll have to make a plan about where you’re purchasing the products from.
Although it might look like unnecessary work, it’s worth the effort.
Many people also make the mistake of buying their test strips in bulk, which turn out to be far too excessive for their needs. Instead of throwing them out when they get close to their expiry date, you can them off to a distributor like Test Strips 4 Money, who will pay you in cash. You can apply this money for your next purchase and get reliable test strips at a lower cost.
I know this wasn’t the usual type of article posted on here but I hope that someone found it useful. Let me know in the comments below if we should post more things like this or just focus on the pre-med advice.
