The province currently covers the devices' $7,000 price tag, but only up to age 18
A dozen Manitobans living with Type 1 diabetes are urging the provincial government to extend its coverage of costly insulin pumps.
“I would love to get across to [the MLAs] just how demanding this disease is — not even just cost, but physically, emotionally, everything,” 23-year-old diabetes patient Jessica Williams told CBC News. “If … you forget [to manage it], you're going to have consequences later, so having an insulin pump makes so much of a difference.”
Diabetics can control their blood sugar levels using needle injections of insulin. However, administering multiple daily shots can be impractical at work or at school, and patients who lose or forget their needles are left vulnerable to sudden spikes or drops in blood sugar levels.
Pumps are more reliable and can last four to five years, but they cost around $7,000 each; catheters, needles, reservoirs, and insulin — the supplies required for a pump to work — can cost another $500 a month.
A program to cover the cost of pumps was introduced in 2012, but only for those under 18. Certain provinces offer coverage up to age 25, while others have no age limit for insulin-pump coverage.
Williams said that she was diagnosed with diabetes shortly before turning 10. Her father’s work insurance plan covered the cost of an insulin pump, which she said has helped her live well with the disease. As a child, she was able to accept treats offered by her friends without embarrassment. As an adult, she has no problem engaging in sports or other intense sugar-burning activities because she can adjust her insulin levels on the fly.
She recently went into a panic when her insulin pump broke down, but was overcome with emotion after learning that it could be covered under her boyfriend’s insurance.
“When I turned 18 … it got harder for me [to afford a pump] because I was moving out, I was starting university and you're losing that support that you have at home. And now the government is saying, 'Oh, because you're 18, we don't support you, either.’”
A spokesperson for Manitoba told CBC News that the province recognizes the seriousness of diabetes. They noted that under Pharmacare, most diabetic medications, insulin, syringes, needles, blood glucose test strips, lancets and infusion sets used with insulin pumps are covered.
As for the use of insulin pumps, they said “there is no published research data” to provide strong support for use of pumps to improve patient outcomes, but the province “will continue to review the issue of insulin pumps for adults.”
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“I would love to get across to [the MLAs] just how demanding this disease is — not even just cost, but physically, emotionally, everything,” 23-year-old diabetes patient Jessica Williams told CBC News. “If … you forget [to manage it], you're going to have consequences later, so having an insulin pump makes so much of a difference.”
Diabetics can control their blood sugar levels using needle injections of insulin. However, administering multiple daily shots can be impractical at work or at school, and patients who lose or forget their needles are left vulnerable to sudden spikes or drops in blood sugar levels.
Pumps are more reliable and can last four to five years, but they cost around $7,000 each; catheters, needles, reservoirs, and insulin — the supplies required for a pump to work — can cost another $500 a month.
A program to cover the cost of pumps was introduced in 2012, but only for those under 18. Certain provinces offer coverage up to age 25, while others have no age limit for insulin-pump coverage.
Williams said that she was diagnosed with diabetes shortly before turning 10. Her father’s work insurance plan covered the cost of an insulin pump, which she said has helped her live well with the disease. As a child, she was able to accept treats offered by her friends without embarrassment. As an adult, she has no problem engaging in sports or other intense sugar-burning activities because she can adjust her insulin levels on the fly.
She recently went into a panic when her insulin pump broke down, but was overcome with emotion after learning that it could be covered under her boyfriend’s insurance.
“When I turned 18 … it got harder for me [to afford a pump] because I was moving out, I was starting university and you're losing that support that you have at home. And now the government is saying, 'Oh, because you're 18, we don't support you, either.’”
A spokesperson for Manitoba told CBC News that the province recognizes the seriousness of diabetes. They noted that under Pharmacare, most diabetic medications, insulin, syringes, needles, blood glucose test strips, lancets and infusion sets used with insulin pumps are covered.
As for the use of insulin pumps, they said “there is no published research data” to provide strong support for use of pumps to improve patient outcomes, but the province “will continue to review the issue of insulin pumps for adults.”
Related stories:
Canada failing badly on obesity treatment: study
DeRozan and Raptors dunking against diabetes
