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Saturday, November 16, 2013

What Happens If You Lose Your Diabetes Device?

What happens when you lose that most important diabetes gear on your way to the country? Well it happened to someone when the clip of that Continuous Glucose Monitoring device gave way and went flying away never to be found again. That was sometime ago. Let's follow it up and see what happens. Will this person get her diabetes gear back?

She got help with the paper work to be able to file for a replacement. She got a rude awakening when she found out that her health insurance company would not cover the loss. Apparently anytime a diabetes gear is lost or stolen, it is not covered by the health insurance company. She was told it was an uncovered benefit, whatever that means.

Did you think this is the worse of this story? Well, think again because one year after when the warranty was up, the health insurance company again refused to replace her lost CGM. This is despite the fact that this person who lost her CGM gear through no fault of hers, has a history of hypoglycemia unawareness and a frequent visitor to the emergency room.



It looked like the health insurance company will never ever replace that CGM. Can you imagine that? It is difficult enough to have to deal with using these diabetes tools, but do we also have to be concerned about losing it? To this day that diabetes gear has not been replaced so this is something we have to live with.

The trouble is there is no specific insurance policy to cover these expensive diabetes gears. Cell phones can be covered by a specific insurance policy but not diabetes devices. That goes to show how low the diabetics are in the totem pole of health concerns and this pisses me off to no end.

What do cell phones have that diabetes tools don't have? What do cell phones do to save lives that diabetes devices don't? Are the diabetics such nobodies that they can't even try to protect the diabetes tools that can help them go on living? What have we become - just so materialistic that we turn away from the needs of our neighbors? We are not asking people to be like Mother Teresa for crying out loud!

If we can protect the cell phones, why can't we protect the very diabetic device that could help us from getting to the point of being between life and death situation? That said, let us check out how the policies of the vendors can impact us. This may not be the latest but I just hope there has been some improvement.

Insulet, the maker of the OmniPod does not offer insurance but carries a warranty for four years. They say very few people lose it and if you do, call them right away to buy a replacement which you will receive within the twenty-four hour period. This means you can't get held up while wearing it.

Medtronic does not offer insurance for stolen or lost diabetes devices either but they said this could be explored with the homeowners insurance. They may offer extra rider insurance like they do for jewelry. As for the warranty, they focused on what is not covered like if it is submerged in water. That typhoon Haiyan or hurricane Katrina better not come around.

Animas has a limited four-year warranty against defects by the manufacturing company. If your pump breathes its last while covered, the company has the option of replacing it with a new one or a used unit they call re-certified. They will not cover any loss from accidents, misuse by the user or any other parties.

Tandem does not offer insurance for the loss or stolen t:slim but added that renters insurance or homeowners insurance policies offer riders that could insure the t:slim. Are they counting these diabetes tools the same way they regard the jewelry? Well, I suppose these gadgets are more important than jewelry anyway.

Asante hinted at being the first to consider offering insurance for it. I can't wait but I bet there will be a long list of exclusions. Dexcom and Roche have yet to say anything on the matter but anyway as a rule the makers of CGMs and insulin pumps are not going to be responsible beyond the warranty period they are offering. It does not matter that our survival depends on these devices.

Let us take a look at our Homeowners Policies, shall we? Farmers Insurance does not cover insulin pumps while Allstate does but we are urged to check out with our agents if we have enough personal property limit to cover this. Nationwide covers this and treats it like our other personal property. They will cover for theft and damage as a result of a peril mentioned in the policy but not for mysterious loss and breakage.

To make sure if you're covered, talk to the agent. Make sure it is a schedule, that is listed in the list of properties that are specifically insured. Otherwise you may need a rider to cover it just like what they have for any high-value item. If it is on schedule, that means it is covered as long as the items do not go over the coverage limits.

There you have it. You now know the extent of the warranty coverage for your insulin pumps and other continuous glucose monitoring devices. It’s only against manufacturing defects. Otherwise we are on our own. While the homeowners and renters policies may have some coverage on this, the onus is on us to talk to the agent for clarification.

By Roger Guzman, M.D. and Evelyn Guzman

This Diabetic Warrior's Guide On How To Fight Type 2 Diabetes & Win!. through PRIMAL Foods & Natural Remedies That Empower You To HEAL Type 2 Diabetes & Its Complications! His Doctor Confessed — "Modern Medicine Could Do Nothing More For Him!" so he put his treatment into his own hands and won. Here’s the link again. How To Fight Type 2 Diabetes & Win!.

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