Petition for CGMs on the NHS

I've edited it now and the link should work

You're welcome

Just post it in one place If you make other posts about diabetes you could refer to this thread then, eg in Type 1

That petition was posted here several weeks back just like many similar petitions that unfortunately don't seem to have been very effective.

Perhaps the first step in receiving funding is to ask for partial subsidies rather than full? Gaining 100k signatures will be incredibly difficult (especially considering there's only a few hundred thousand people with t1 in the entire UK).

The other thing that needs to be pursued is creating competition within the private sector. Advanced Therapeutics are charging astronomical prices because they can. There's no one else competing against them.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I believe the only way to get this to work is to increase advocacy for CGMs and the only way to do that is to get more people using them. I realize it's a catch 22, but even if the price were subsidized by 50% that would allow many more people to afford the technology.

empire.line said:

Awesome!! Thank you very much

Any ideas where else I could post this link to get maximum attention?

EL x

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You seem to be doing a very good job of posting on this forum, over time there must have been at least 10 separate threads promoting the petition all by different login names. There is were in fact 2 threads within hours of each other yesterday.

empire.line said:

Hello! Thanks for your reply! May I ask, did you sign the petition?

I have done some digging and the cost of providing CGMs is comparable to the cost of providing pumps. Given that people who use a CGM experience significantly less hospitalization due to emergency care, and the likelyhood that they protect against long term conditions also, then CGMs actually SAVE the NHS money...

The more we all talk about this the more that NHS will be pressured into providing it.
Spread the word! Forward the petition! if we work together we can do this.

Cheers

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That would be pointless he doesn't live in the UK

I did not sign the petition because I do not live in the UK. While I agree with your bottom line- they will save the NHS money, I would say there are better ways to explain why.

Yes, they cost about the same as a pump. HOWEVER, a pump is replacing the cost of insulin pens (my levemir flex pens retail for about $1100usd for a 1 month supply). With a CGM, you still have to finger prick test, just not as much. On first impression, that can make people question its value.

Where they offer the most value (and probably another place you should be petitioning) are for doctors. The technology provides full-transparency into how regulated a patient is (which can't always be assessed from just an a1c), it graphs patterns to help spot areas of improvement, and just as you mentioned it helps predict and avoid dangerous hypo situations. That means less frequent doctor visits, the ability to conduct appointments remotely, the ability for a doctor to review a patients data without them present, and less emergency situations.

Someone needs to do a cost-benefit analysis to include with this petition. I hate to say it, but (saving) money is what will win approval on this. I agree that more people DESERVE to be on a CGM, but I think petitions like this one are going about it ineffectively.

Looking at the retail costs of my Dexcom G5 (I realize the G4 system is much cheaper but I can share actual costs in this case):
Receiver-$823
Transmitter-$720 ($2880/annual)
4-pack Sensors-$514 ($6168/annual)
Total- $9871/annual

HOWEVER, my private health insurance had a negotiated rate of:
Receiver: $461
Transmitter: $799.50/annual
Sensors: $3444/annual
Total:$4704.50/annual

In comparison, my Accu-Chek Aviva Test Strips retail for $175/100-pack.

If the need to finger test is reduced by:
2 strips per day-$1277.50
4 strips per day-$2555
6 strips per day-$3832.59
7.5 strips per day- $4790.63 (essentially the break even point)

Realistically, the need to finger test is reduced by about 4 strips which accounts for about 50% of the CGM cost. You could also analyze the cost savings of reducing doctors' billable hours, cost of emergency hospitalization, etc.

The alternative is to somehow request full funding of the sensors (which account for most of the cost). That could effectively make the G5 system less than $1000usd to operate per year. Still not cheap, but 1/10th the full retail cost.

Side note: even with excellent insurance, I still pay about $850usd out of pocket for my system each year.

I am sharing on Facebook and Twitter , fingers crossed .