A CARRUM Downs woman is appealing for the federal government to improve access to Flash Glucose Monitoring. Lucy Simons said her plans to have children with her partner were thrown up in the air because she could not get affordable access to it.
“I want to have kids, so I need to get my glucose levels under control before I even start trying. And if I do have kids, and it’s $200 a month, where does that money come from,” Ms Simons said.
“It’s not great because you have all the added extra costs of being pregnant. As a diabetic, I would be a high risk pregnancy and would need private doctors for best care.”
Ms Simons said that using Flash Glucose Monitoring costs her approximately $2400 a year out of pocket. She called on the federal government to help by subsidising the cost.
Flash glucose monitoring allows people with diabetes to test their glucose levels without pricking their finger. The National Diabetes Services Scheme announced in March that “the government intends to include the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system on the list of products subsidised under the scheme. Negotiations with the product sponsor are ongoing, and further information will be provided once negotiations are complete.”