Provincial government will now cover insulin pumps for all ages
VICTORIA — Hundreds more British Columbians living with diabetes will have the cost of insulin pumps covered by PharmaCare, allowing them to better manage their disease, Health Minister Adrian Dix announced last week.
As of July 3, the provincial government will remove the age restriction that limited coverage of pumps to people 25 years and younger.
“That means that anyone living with Type 1 diabetes, or any other diabetes that requires insulin and meets coverage criteria, will be able to get insulin pump coverage no matter what their age,” Dix said.
A Type 1 diabetic himself, Dix injects insulin four times a day and has no plans to get a pump. But he said about 830 people over the age of 25 are expected to take advantage of the expanded coverage in the first year of the program.
The pumps, which cost from $6,000 to $7,000 and need replacing every five years, are computerized devices that provide people with a continuous supply of insulin throughout the day.
“With an insulin pump, you’re much more likely to maintain a more stable blood sugar [level],” Dix said. “And that has consequences which are absolutely positive for your overall health. The fact of the matter is that these kind of treatments help people maintain better eye health, better overall body health, stay out of hospital, [and maintain] better condition of the organs of their body.”
Colwood’s Dianne Ridge, who has been using an insulin pump for years, welcomed the announcement.
She said insulin pumps allow patients to better control the disease and reduce their reliance on the public health care system.
“If we can adjust our insulin ourselves with a pump, it makes much more sense than ending up in emergency or something like that, which costs a lot of money.”
Dr. David Miller, an endocrinologist in Victoria, said he was glad to see the NDP government follow through on its election promise to remove the age restriction.
“We need to see the implementation details, but this is a good day for people with Type 1 diabetes and people who need insulin pumps.”
He said the decision will immediately benefit someone who’s 27 or 28 and whose pump is about to come off warranty or has stopped working properly.
“They’ll be able to purchase a new pump through PharmaCare,” he said. “People over the age of 26 who haven’t had the up-front money to pay for a pump will be able to try one for the first time.”
Miller said the pumps are not for everybody, but there will be built-up demand. “It’s not like I’m going to go through and all of a sudden change all my Type 1 diabetics to a pump. It’s an individual decision, but choice is good and we’ve been looking forward to this day for a bit.”
The government said patients will have to consult with their specialist to see if they meet eligibility requirements and then apply to PharmaCare for coverage.
The B.C. government first began covering the cost of insulin pumps for children up to age 18 in 2008 and then raised the age limit to 25 in 2014. Dix said removing the age limits entirely will cost about $15 million over three years.