Does anyone have experience on whether insulin prescriptions are covered by basic health insurance in Switzerland? I ask because it runs in my family, and the costs have skyrocketed in the US and it is not always covered by all health insurers.
Yes, it will be covered, no problem.
No, I have no experience of this, but Swiss health insurance is required to cover all genuine medical conditions and is not allowed to refuse or increase premiums for pre-existing conditions.
Yes it certainly is as is all associated checkups etc..
And it is the doctor that decides on the Insulin (and other medicine) types.
Yes.
And if your doctor asks nicely, you can even get the insurance to pay for a new flash monitor every fortnight.
If you are referring to the Abbott Free Style Libre a prescription is required. But it is on the list for reimbursement. - For almost two years now.
I’ve got a copy of the announcement (somewhere) that I could post here or send you via PM.
yes, my insulin is covered by insurance, depending on the type and severity of the diabetes the CGM system may be covered as well, you get the reader for free and have to pay about 15chf for a sensor that last two weeks, that's based on the freestyle libre system.
I'm a type 1 diabetic, using an insulin pump for delivery of insulin and the Freestyle Libre system to measure my glucose values.
The rent of the pump, the consumables for the pump, the insulin and the Freestyle Libre sensors are all covered by my basic health insurance (obviously after payment of the franchise and 10% self costs). Some years I go slightly over the limits for the sensors and consumables, but very left over for me to pay.
In any case the insulin and other medication I take are all covered.
Karl, you'll have noticed a lot of comments about the Freestyle Libre system here. If you've already heard of this, please skip this post.
If your doctor recommends it, you get a sensor every two weeks, which sits painlessly in the skin on your upper arm (recommended) or thigh or belly (not recommended, but plenty of people do it) and constantly(ish) measures your blood glucose level. You can check it anytime you like with a dedicated machine or an app on your phone. It saves a lot of bother and mess with finger pricking, and is handy because you get to see your stats whenever you like, as long as you check regularly (the sensor in your arm has an eight hour memory).
As Bowlie mentioned above, if the doctor prescribes it, the insurance will cover it. It really is a game changer: one wave of the phone and you know how your sugar is going, instantly, with no bloody tissues or alcohol swabs flying all over the place.
So that's what we're all talking about.
An added advantage is that you can have friends/family get updates on your BGLs whenever you check with your phone as well, as long as you're all connected to the internet ... it helps a bit with a teenager who's off at work as well, and we don't see each other often during the day but it's nice to be reassured that his sugar's not too far out of line.
I’ve got a miaomiao (seriously) transmitter that sits in top of my sensor and transmits the glucose data by Bluetooth to my phone. It allows you, amongst other things, to set alarms if your bs is going low, or high, in the middle of the night.
www.diabetika.es www.miaomiao.eu are european distributors or they can be had from China. www.miaomiao.cool
The mm costs about $199 plus $15 shipping (from China) (€185 including shipping from the EU) and is not reimbursed, but it is a one-off cost.
Using my fsl and mm has allowed me to reduce my A1c from 7.5 to 6.2 over last couple of years.
www.freestylelibre.ch
Wow, lot's of good information on an important topic, thanks everyone! I don't actually have diabetes, but I wouldn't rule out getting it later down the road. I just wanted to be sure we are financially set to deal with it if it comes, and with standard health insurance, it looks like it's no-worries here in paradise. Certainly not the case in America.
Having family members with T1 or T2 diabetes is no guarantee that you will get either. Keep your weight down, avoid unnecessary carbs and stay healthy.
None of these will prevent T1 if it's going to come ... but at least you can reduce the risk of T2.
In practice, this isn't always true. I've had to cover several treatments on my own, especially during pregnancy since the cheaper treatment was contraindicated by pregnancy. I was expected to simply take 6 months of sickness leave (followed by 5 months of maternity leave?). Instead I ended up paying for the treatment myself. An extra 3500chf in order to be functional for 6 months. It was worth it, but be prepared to have the insurance fight you on many things if your situation is not the typical one. Also, make sure to keep an emergency fund for such costs.
You can buy this online without a prescription, but it's nowhere nearly as accurate as a Dexcom G6. It's worth the extra cost.
You need the prescription for the reimbursement.