The financial reality of diabetic patients
If you have a close friend or a family member that is a diabetic, or maybe you recently got diagnosed with diabetes, you must have –at some point asked “Do diabetes medications cost a lot of money?” and “Is insulin and other diabetic supplies expensive?”
It comes as no surprise that all types of chronic illnesses’ medications are somewhat expensive, it differentiates from one illness to another, of course. But, how expensive are the medications, medical care and the supplies for diabetics?
Having around 10.5% of the global adult population suffering from diabetes in 2021, the illness caused at least 966 billion US dollars in health expenditure – a 316% increase over the last 15 years. At the same time, 3 out of 4 adults with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries. Meaning they have to “pay an arm and a leg” –sometimes literally- to pay for medical supplies and medications.
Direct Costs of Diabetes
Diabetes imposes a substantial economic burden on countries, health systems, people with diabetes, and their families. Diabetics generally need insulin, insulin syringes, insulin pens, and sometimes insulin pumps. They also need blood sugar meters, blood lancets, diabetic test strips, and more. These things cost money! The direct cost of being a diabetic depends on the insurance you have, of course, but many are unlucky to have to pay extreme amounts to medical bills and medications, and some would even say they are being ‘ripped off’. Without fair priced insulin/test strips, people with diabetes probably may not survive this disease that is otherwise manageable.
Indirect Costs Attributed to Diabetes
Diabetes –in addition to direct medical costs- imposes a substantial burden in the form of indirect costs, for instance; It is less likely for a diabetic to be in the workforce than people without diabetes, and study results suggest that people with diabetes have higher rates of being out of the workforce and receiving disability payments compared with their peers without diabetes.
While some are not a part of the workforce, most diabetics are. However, indirect costs linked to diabetes include (work days missed) due to health conditions. Research found that people with diabetes are likely to miss work that the ones without diabetes (i.e.
more work days missed). Indirect costs also include; lost productivity, premature mortality, and intangible costs in the form of reduced quality of life. These all have a great deal of impact on people with diabetes, especially the ones who have money concerns, “How will I afford this?”, “Is my insurance going to cover this?” and many other questions to ask and stress about, which keeps them in a state of fear and worry.
Is it changing for the better?
The direct cost of diabetes is expected to continue to grow, as the diabetes-related health expenditure is projected to reach over 1 billion dollars globally in 2045. Nonetheless, chronic conditions like diabetes are now much better recognised as having a major psychological and economic impact, and we see this being assessed in more and more locations.
So, is it expensive to have diabetes? Yes, even with excellent insurance. In some countries patients can be considered to be somewhat ‘lucky’. In England for example, insulin is "free". Other insurances consider insulin as preventative medicine!
Should insulin and diabetes supplies be covered by any government? Absolutely. Do I think that everyone living with diabetes despite their location should have access? Absolutely.
When it comes down to it, whether it is changing for the better or the worse, people living with a chronic illness like diabetes need affordable and accessible medication and care.
- Percentage of diabetics in the global adult population in 2021, 2030, and 2045. In Statista - The Statistics Portal. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/271464/percentage-of-diabetics-worldwide/
- International Diabetes Federation: IDF Diabetes Atlas 10th edition. https://diabetesatlas.org/. accessed on March 6, 2022.
- American Diabetes Association; Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2017. Diabetes Care 1 May 2018; 41 (5): 917–928. https://doi.org/10.2337/dci18-0007. accessed on March 6, 2022.
- Vijan, S., Hayward, R. A., & Langa, K. M. (2004). The impact of diabetes on workforce participation: results from a national household sample. Health services research, 39(6 Pt 1), 1653–1669. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2004.00311.x. accessed on March 6, 2022.