What does it really cost?

People always assume that my work insurance covers the cost of Alison's pump therapy, but this isn't exactly true.  We are lucky that in Ontario we are covered by the Assisted Device Program, or ADP provided by the OHLTC.  They provide a grant every 3 months to cover some of the costs of pumping and they paid for Alison's pump outright (they cost from $6-10k, so that was nice of them).  Most insurance companies won't pay for the pump device at all!

The money that comes from the Ministry doesn't cover the cost of all of the insurable supplies and my work insurance does cover the difference, which is great, because the prices are crazy!  If I had to guess, I would say that we pay about $500.00 dollars on insurable supplies each month.  We get $200.00 back from the government (we get a $600 cheque every three months) and the rest we eventually get back from my provider.  I say eventually, because a lot of diabetic supplies have to be submitted manually as they don't have DIN numbers and we have to wait for them to travel, via snail mail, to Winnipeg, for approval, then we get our money back.

Also, there's the list of things we don't get reimbursed for but really need to get by with Type 1.  I am sure that I am missing things, and that maybe those of you with T1D may have more ideas or better prices out there - suggestions are always welcome, but here's my list:

• Alcohol pads about $2.99 for a box of 100; we go through at least 5 a day
• Tegaderm, about $40 for a box of 100 and we go through 2 every three days
• Emla Cream about $40 for 30g; we go through at least a tube a month
• Cotton pads or facial tissues
• Pump battery caps about $25 and they need to be replaced every 6 months
• Pump cartridge caps $25, see battery caps above (which reminds me to order both)
• Pump display protective film about $20-25
• Pump belts and cases, they run about $30 each and we currently have 3.  We find you need many, some for dressy, some for sleep, sports, water sports, some have Care bears etc.  The nicer they are, the better the child feels about wearing the pump.  Plus, we've had some trial and error with some that were not really comfortable.
• A good bag for all your out of house excursions, you can no longer just leave the house empty handed.  Even a trip to the mall includes a myriad of supplies
• Foot cream.  We're working out the price on this one because we don't know what we need quite yet.  Ali has just started to get some cracks in her feet.  Foot infections are a problem for T1Ds so we are on the hunt for the best product to meet Alison's foot moisture needs.  We're not sure that an adult diabetes foot cream would be gentle enough for her tender skin so we're trying out some options - suggestions welcome and we'll let other parents know if we come up with an option that works for us
• Medicalert necklace or bracelet.  The cost will be determined by whether or not you just get a piece of jewelry to alert people of the condition or if you want to sign up for the online service where your health information is kept on record.  it could run you anywhere from a $40 one time cost, to a monthly fee.
• You will need a good kitchen scale.  You can expect it to be worth about $30.  We get ours (and our back up) when they go on sale at Canadian Tire for $9.99.  Yes, you will need a back up.  You cannot feed a person who is pumping without a kitchen scale. You just can't!
• You will need measuring cups and spoons.  We have found that since we use so many of them (again, back to having to be really accurate with Alison's food amounts) we just keep buying more of these so that we don't have to search the dishwasher at every meal and snack.

I am sure I missed things, but you will surely get the idea if you made it through the list before giving up!