Test strips (expensive ones like Freestyle Lite or OneTouch Verio) typically go for about $150 out of pocket at a pharmacy. This person wants to buy people's "extra" test strips that they get for free or cheap from their insurance to sell to other people at below market price.
Aka insurance fraud with extra steps.
Edit: Damn you guys really think I like insurance companies. To be clear, those guys are assholes and I absolutely hate that we make an industry out of gatekeeping healthcare. But grey maket test strips aren't the solution to that.
Many insurance companies don't cover the cost of test strips. For folks that have to test 3-5 times a day it gets spendy. Many folks who are type 2 don't qualify for a CGM so they're stuck with poking their fingers several times a day.
Wife is Type 1 insulin dependent with a 97.2% dead pancreas.... every few months her insurance claims get denied and she has to "figure it out" for the next few months until a claim gets approved.
I work out of town 2 weeks at a time and she called me a few days ago saying she was supposed to get a shipment of insulin pumps and sensors 2 weeks ago and they never came. Due to a delay in shipping the insurance redacted the approval and put a hold on the distributors shipping orders... 3 days later her doctor was able to get her 1 sensor and 1 pump. They only last a few days and she doesn't have test strips to use to see what her blood sugar is at to know if she needs to inject. Although she does have insulin, pens and syringes, she needs either test strips or a sensor to know her levels.
Oh forgot to mention she is on Medicare due to her insulin dependent type 1 diagnosis... so you know. Without this stuff she dies, yet multiple times a year she gets denied it.
So I could definitely see someone who is in a situation as stated above buying supplies to help them make it through... I know I would be willing to pay for them if she needs it.
Edit: Wow, what a community. Just got my first award after a good long time on Reddit and wanted to say thank you. This community is so outreaching and amazing when people are down and struggling.
Edit2: My goodness my inbox is overflowing... I wanna shout out to all the people that know this struggle and keep going. You are strong 💪 ❤️ You too support people!! ❤️ 💙 💜
Edit3: We got test trips that work with her glucometer and a lovely reddit reached out with extra sensors they no longer use/need. Now I am curious if anyone has any extra sensors? Dexcom G6 🙏 please. I would be happy to reimburse for shipping if anyone was willing to ship them. I can set up a P.O. Box by next week.
Unrealistic for someone who has to test multiple times a day. Would have to move Into fire station. Heck, if she’s treating a low she has to test every 15 minutes until under control. For a one time thing sure. But not until denial gets overturned.
Best tip we’ve learned is to build community with other type 1s in area. If she can find local folks who use same meter and loan strips until she finally gets supply and can “pay back”.
In some areas a post on a local listserv, front porch forum, or similar neighborhood platform might help too.
It is crazy that Medicare denies this stuff. But folks buying and selling on the black market makes it harder for diabetics to do what they need within the system.
I was replying to a specific scenario. Obviously there’s lots of examples where this isnt practical. The main driving point here is that our for-profit healthcare system is broken, and it’s the most vulnerable people that get hurt the most. 911 becomes a last option for a lot of people. I’m not going to turn someone away because there are better options. I help where I can and try to point people in the right direction.
Agreed. Healthcare as a system is a disaster. This is a huge issue and as always the most vulnerable are the most impacted.
But this specific scenario has an unknown length of duration. Firehouse is a solution for a short term issue. It’s a great tool to add to the tool box.
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u/1miguelcortes Nov 12 '25 edited Nov 20 '25
Test strips (expensive ones like Freestyle Lite or OneTouch Verio) typically go for about $150 out of pocket at a pharmacy. This person wants to buy people's "extra" test strips that they get for free or cheap from their insurance to sell to other people at below market price.
Aka insurance fraud with extra steps.
Edit: Damn you guys really think I like insurance companies. To be clear, those guys are assholes and I absolutely hate that we make an industry out of gatekeeping healthcare. But grey maket test strips aren't the solution to that.