When Will Medicare Cover the Cost of Insulin Pumps for Type 2s?
I am a loyal Diabetes Health subscriber. I have a personal and professional interest in a Business Brief entitled “Medicare Chips In, More Diabetes Patients May Now Be Able to Get Insurance Coverage for Pumps” (August 2001, p. 20). I was very excited to see this information since the company I represent processes insulin pumps for potential pump candidates inclusive of Medicare patients. All documentation from Medicare currently states that Medicare covers only type 1 patients per their guidelines. You cited information in the article that people with type 2 diabetes and a C-peptide level of 1.0 ng/ml or less may also be able to get coverage for their insulin pump. The new guidelines you mentioned in your article are not yet released in any documents by Medicare, from what we have been told by region representatives and our local ombudsman. We have been told that if we provide an insulin pump to a new type 2 patient with a C-peptide level between 0.6 ng/ml and 1.0 ng/ml, the pump will
