Tootse said:phoenix said:The system here in France means that I get my care/drugs for diabetes related things free because it is a chronic disease. It doesn't apply to anything else.
If I need some antibiotics, as happened last year, when Ineeded a tetanus jab and some steri strips, I have to pay part of the bill, just the same as anyone else here . It's a different system so it would be at least 30% of the cost( some covered by insurance) The equivalent in the UK would be to pay the appropriate prescription charge (which older people. people on certain benefits and children don't pay anyway)
I think that makes total sense. When the problem is not caused by diabetes, we are no different to anyone else so why should we be charged any differently?
That does make sense phoenix . I have always bought a yearly prescription prepayment card for around £104, which saves me a lot of money over the year. I've had at least 7-8 prescribed medications every month on repeat for years before Metformin and Simvastatin were added in July this year. I've continued to use the card as it is valid until January 2013.
I still don't quite understand why, as diabetics, we can now get everything free.
Probably because diabetes is known to cause complications which means we're more likely than most to need to take lots of meds, which would be unaffordable for most people. Or maybe it's because they know that the diagnostic criteria for diabetes is so **** that many people are already suffering with diabetic complications before they're even diagnosed.