Practically Active

Why would anyone want to buy up diabetics’ test strips?

I once tried pyramid selling, but after I started to advertise the Egyptian government shut me down.

— Anthony T. Hincks

For a couple of months I have been seeing advertisements aimed at people who may be interested in selling their diabetes glucose test strips. At first I thought that might be a way to make a little extra cash, but as time has worn on I’ve started to wonder about the whole thing.

First and foremost, though, I don’t begrudge anyone the opportunity to make extra money when they can. My thought is, though, that if we test our blood glucose regularly, should we have strips left over?

If you aren’t familiar with what I’m talking about, just do a simple Internet search and you’ll find a variety of companies that buy diabetic test strips.

There are not a lot of constraints to selling, either. They want unopened boxes that are not expired. And a couple of websites said they will not accept any boxes that have Medicare or Medicaid printed on them. Offers range from $5 to $21 a box, depending on the company and brand of strips.

As a diabetic, I know how expensive the strips can be. I use a meter with relatively inexpensive strips, but in some places a box can cost more than $100. For example, a cashfor-strips company pays $20 a box, re-sells it to a wholesaler for $40, who then sells the box online for $80. Not too shabby.

The Food and Drug Administration says it is legal to buy and sell the strips because you don’t need a prescription for them. But if a doctor writes a prescription, it is usually covered by insurance or Medicare. So if an insured person pays $10 for a box of strips through private insurance, he could make another $10 on top of that if he sells his strips for $20.

I found an interesting article on Healthline.com, an information site with a team of medical professionals that includes doctors, dietitians and nutritionists. The site has “communities” with members who seek information and support for ailments such as Chron’s disease, epilepsy, diabetes, arthritis and depression.

In the article titled “Going Undercover to Investigate Selling Test Strips for Cash,” correspondent Mike Lawson tells of arranging what seemed like a shady deal to sell strips to a company whose number he found on a roadside sign.

He was directed to wait for a courier in an empty McDonald’s parking lot. The courier, Marcus, eventually showed, and when queried about the company could give no details. He was only the middle man. After Lawson signed a receipt, Marcus pulled out a wad of cash and peeled off a $20 bill.

For someone who is uninsured or underinsured, paying $40 for a box of strips that sells for $50 or more in the store sounds like a deal.

But David Winmill, a nurse practitioner and certified diabetes educator in Ogden, Utah, told Lawson that patients need to be skeptical when they buy testing supplies online from supply resellers.

Winmill said that patients need to question the integrity of the products they are buying online. It’s impossible to guarantee that the strips bought from a third party were maintained in a certain environment. Test strips that are expired, exposed to heat or used in a meter other than the one they were made for can produce inaccurate results.

I think we can safely say that the soaring cost of being a healthy diabetic explains why this black market has developed. For people without health insurance, buying online appeals because it’s cheaper than paying for health insurance and the same brand of strips from a pharmacy.

According to Winmill, many patients don’t know that their doctors and nurses could be able to help them get through tough times. Before turning to the Internet, try communicating with your health-care provider. There are prescription savings programs, and a few drug companies offer savings programs for insulin and other diabetes medications.