Hi there.
it costs the same for everybody. i self funded for 2 years as a T1. (Granted i was eligible for VAT exemption.)
It was good enough for me to keep investing in the use of the Libre.. Somewhere in the region of 48 quid per sensor privately funded.
I eventually got NHS funding.
..... & believe me when i say I'm not the sort of guy on my wage that don't miss that sort of money disappearing from my account every 2 weeks.
In answer..? so far i'm one of the lucky ones in the 20% of T1? "Bloodletting" (with convectional testing.) is inappropriate. covered my "criteria.." (at the time.)
Workwise, I'm either up to my elbows in chicken carcasses on a egg farm, (Not a pretty job.) or covered in grease in engineering production..
The Libre certainly helps me get through any given day...
I think there is a big difference between insulin users (all T1s and some T2s) and non insulin users here. If you're on insulin then you have to test in order to know how much to inject and also to fend off hypos, so a cgm makes for a massive improvement in quality of life.
If you don't need to test all the time, it's not nearly as necessary/ cost effective.
Is Libre cost effective?
Depends how often you prick your finger and how much your test strips cost.
My DSN explained that the NHS was funding Libre for people with Type 1 who finger prick eight or more times a day is because that is where it becomes cost effective - on average, a Libre works out about the same cost as 8 test strips per day. These are the prices to the NHS - I don't believe they pay £48 per Libre sensor.
That said, it provides a lot more information as it gives you data throughout the day and night; not just when you finger prick.
Is it any good?
Depends what you want from it. There are many many threads on the topic of Libre if you use the Search function at the top of the page.