It’s the testing supplies that are killer in costs, from what diabetics tell me.
Yeah... the blood glucose meters and test strips practice the same pricing gimmick as computer inkjet printers and ink cartridges: They practically give the meter away dirt cheap, but then you're locked into their special brand of test strips which can run about $1 apiece... which starts adding up pretty quick if you test 3~4 times a day....
The brand I use costs me about 40¢ per strip... and since I'm fortunately able to control my blood glucose level pretty easily with diet (many diabetics have much greater difficulty than I), I only test once or twice per day...
Still, it all adds up pretty quickly.
Yes it does. Hubby has Type II and sometimes he ‘avoids’ testing. He takes Metformin, and Actos (which is quite costly).
Since I use an insulin pump I test more like 8 times or more a day. I wish they were offering insulin free. As a type 1 I’ve never used anything except insulin.