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A type 1 diabetic who recently moved to Nova Scotia says he paid hundreds of dollars out of pocket while trying to apply for provincial programs that help cover the cost of insulin and supplies.
Beck Marie, 28, moved to Bridgewater, N.S., earlier this year from British Columbia, where they had coverage for devices like an insulin pump and a glucose monitoring sensor.
Marie, who did not have a primary care provider at the time, said applications to obtain coverage in Nova Scotia for pumps and sensors require approval from specific health care specialists based in the province.
“I have all my records from BC and Ontario that show I’ve been using this exact insulin pump for 10 years. Like it’s not rocket science. I’m a diabetic. It’s not going away,” Marie said.
The problem was accessing a specialist, Marie said. They said they were told the wait time to see an endocrinologist, a doctor whose specialties include treating diabetes, was 18 months.
Instead, Marie spent four months going to pharmacies, emergency departments and clinics looking for someone who could help her while paying up to $800 a month to cover the cost of insulin and devices.
“I was spending a lot of time calling, walking places, driving to the pharmacy after work, seeing who was available, waiting for an appointment, being sent around, making a lot of phone calls,” Marie said.
Marie said a nurse at a clinic was able to provide six months’ worth of insulin and supplies, but they still need approval from a specialist like an endocrinologist for permanent coverage.
Devices improve quality of life
Nova Scotia offers two programs to help cover insulin pumps and glucose monitoring sensors. They require separate applications.
Insulin and devices are not covered by Nova Scotia’s provincially managed pharmaceutical care program, as they are in BC, which is one of three provinces and one territory in the country that have signed pharmaceutical care agreements with the federal government.
Cost is the biggest barrier to accessing pumps and sensors, according to Diabetes Canada, but the devices have become the standard of care and significantly improve the quality of life for those who use them.
“[People] have better diabetes-related outcomes. They are less likely to end up in the hospital. They have a longer life expectancy,” said Laura O’Driscoll, senior policy director at Diabetes Canada.
Early last year, the federal government announced a universal pharmaceutical care plan that would cover diabetes medications, but it has yet to materialize.
O’Driscoll said a national plan would expand access to pumps and sensors and make life easier for many Canadians with diabetes.
“It’s just exhausting”
Marie would like to see a national plan put in place, but in the meantime they believe Nova Scotia’s programs, which launched last year, can be improved.
The Department of Health and Welfare declined an interview request from CBC News.
In a statement, a spokesperson said the province’s diabetes programs were designed to help Nova Scotians without a primary care provider access support.
There are diabetes centers located throughout the province and anyone experiencing difficulty accessing support can contact the province’s diabetes care program, according to the release.
Marie said when they tried to contact the program, they couldn’t get through to anyone. They said that when they finally arrived at Lunenburg Hospital’s diabetes center, there was only one health professional working and they told Marie they did not have the authority to sign her application.
Managing diabetes can take a lot of effort, Marie said, but accessing support shouldn’t make it more difficult.
“All these barriers to getting into the device program that I need to live, it was just exhausting,” Marie said.
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