what companies supply test strips?

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wcasey5

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 24, 2008
Messages
170
Location
Baltimore MD
I am "dealing" with phillips, and it's going bad. Apparently my insurance plan changed last year and they didn't pay for my last 2 orders of test strips. They are billing under the code "A9999" misc dme test materials. The code "G0249" is the code for test strips. They refuse to budge unless I go on service with them. i own my machine. In any case, are there other suppliers of test strips? I have an Inratio2. If there are not, I am looking at the strips from amazon, 48 for $200. This really really sucks, makes no sense whatsoever, and is very frustrating. The other thing is that they were getting $102 for each order from my insurance, but now that the insurance doesn't cover it, they want to charge me $204 per 12 strips. what a rip off!

Who else is out there as a strip supplier?
 
It sounds to me like the whole problem is that you are using your own machine rather than theirs, and they aren't getting a big enough piece of the action. Most all insurance companies will pay for the machine lease and the home testing strips if it is prescribed by your doctor, and assuming you are on ACT for life. You need to get the prescribed machine from Phillips/Alere rather than having your own and just asking them for your strips. If your home testing isn't prescribed by your doctor, then that is most likely why your insurance isn't covering the strips.

I have both the INRATIO-2 machine and the strips covered by my insurance, but the home testing was prescribed by my doctor and I am using the machine on permanent loan from Phillips/Alere.

My recommendation would be to "go on service with them" as you indicated they wanted, by having your doctor write the prescription. They will then send you a new machine on loan from them. You can then either use their machine or your own as you see fit, but the whole thing, including test strips, should then be covered by your insurance, and Phillips/Alere will be happy and cooperative since they can bill your insurance company for enough to make it worth their while. They also get to bill the insurance each week when you call in your test results and they forward the INR number on to your doctor.

I agree that it is a bizarre and unnecessarily inefficient system, ultimately costing the insurance company more than if they paid for just the test strips, but that's the way the insurance works.

Other than that, I think the Amazon price for strips is about the best you'll find, at about $4/strip in bulk.

Good luck.
 
Thanks. I asked about going on service with them. They will get back to me. I found a company called edgepark, and they do the same thing. I also called them. This whole deal with the billing codes, and how much they would charge me is just utter stupidity. I was on the phone with their accounting department, they said that they charged my insurance half the cost because they have an agreement with them. But if they didn't charge me double they would go out of business. To which I replied I want the deal.......silence..I then asked that they were getting $102 before and charging 204, where did the other $102 come from? Again, some accounting gibberish but no answer.

And people wonder why health care is so expensive in this country. If you eliminated the stupidity, the cost would come down.
 
Watch out! If your deductible is high, then you are better off buying strips off Amazon. I was "on service" with phillips, and they charged me $248 PER MONTH. yes, you got that, PER MONTH. all charged against my $3000 annual deductible. Thanks, but no thanks. 1 month charge more than paid for my 48 strips off Amazon.
 
I've been hunting for more affordable InRatio strips, because I am almost out.

I've seen the boxes of 48 at eBay for less than $200, including shipping. These usually have long (a year or so) expiration dates. Some of these vendors have been selling these strips for years, and can probably be trusted.

As Laurie (AgilityDog) noted, your deductible may not cover the cost of the rentals, and you may be on the hook for a lot more than if you bought a box of 48 for about $179 or so.
 
I agree with Laurie/AgilityDog about having to consider your insurance plan deductible before deciding on the best course of action.
Phillips/Alere charges my insurance (CareFirst-BCBS) a whopping $280/month for the full INR Home-test service. This is even more than the $248 amount she quoted. BUT...
CareFirst has a discounted rate negotiated with Phillips, so they (Phillips) write-off the unallowed amount, and only $173/month is actually billed. This is how you get the "deal" you spoke with the accounting department about. You only get the discount if it is run through the insurance and you have that 800 pound gorilla on your side. Even while still paying the amount I'm responsible for until I reach my deductible limit, I "only" pay the discounted negotiated "wholesale" rate of $173, not the full $280 "retail" rate.

But, even $173/month is certainly much more than buying your own meter and strips and bypassing the process entirely.
So, if you have no other medical expenses, or only limited expenses, and you won't max out your deductible, then it makes sense to buy your own strips and not bother with Phillips or the insurance claims.

In my case, however, I expect to exceed my plan deductible with other medical expenses now that I'm in the medical system's cross-hairs with my new artificial valve. So, I'll pay my max deductible no matter what, and it really doesn't matter who I pay the full amount to before I get to the 10% co-pay level.

Being philosophical about it, I consider the true incremental expense to be the 10% co-pay, or $17/month out of pocket for the home-testing service in my particular case.
This only works for me because I am writing off my deductible as gone no matter what. If I were not maxing out my deductible with other expenses, then I would also just buy a meter of my own and use test strips purchased outside the insurance system.

If you have a tax-deductible health savings account (HSA), which you may be allowed to have if you have high-deductible health insurance plan, then you can pay for the meter and test strips from the HSA and the tax savings may help to ease the bite a bit.

My recommendation to go with the full service via the insurance is only valid for folks like myself who expect to max out their deductible with other expenses anyway. Sorry if I sent anyone down a dead-end path.
 
And thanks for everyone else. I will have to keep close eye on my deductable to make sure they don't rip me off. What a racket! :-(
 
Philips changed their billing codes and UHC started paying only part of the charge. Ultimately I told them they could take their machine and... well, you can just imagine the rest. I bought a used InRatio from ebay and buy my own strips. 48 strips per box under $200.
 
RobThatsMe said:
Hi,

Has anyone used this company for their InRatio2 Test Strips?
They seem to have a good price.

http://www.fhmedicalservices.com/INRatio-INRatio2-Test-Strips-48-bx.html


If these are legit, then why is it that Alere / Edgepark charge about the same for a box of 12? Grrrr.....
Click to expand...

I haven't used this company for the strips, but their prices actually seem to be in range. If they take returns and can provide you with strips with an expiration date at least a year or so ahead, you should be comfortable buying from them. (Some of the medical supply companies may also ask for a prescription for these strips).

As far as pricing is concerned -- I can't answer for Alere / Edgepark, but I suspect that their pricing is designed for purchase under insurance coverage, and they figure they can charge more if the insurance companies are paying for the strips. It probably has little to do with actual cost to them.
 
This may be a good price for meter and strips -- but will you be able to go through three boxes before they are unusable? You may be able to sell one or both boxes, to help reduce the overall cost. According to this vendor's website, they don't sell to individuals.

There are other deals on eBay.
 
Cris N said:
Philips changed their billing codes and UHC started paying only part of the charge. Ultimately I told them they could take their machine and... well, you can just imagine the rest. I bought a used InRatio from ebay and buy my own strips. 48 strips per box under $200.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought happened. I guess that is why they were so defensive when I looked up the proper codes, called UHC and cleared the proper codes would be paid, and called Phillips back and they refused to change the code and really got defensive about it. They screwed me. This whole system sucks and there is no recourse. I argued with them for about an hour, and 2 different levels of people (that's what they told me, they probably take turns being the "supervisor").

In any case, I called edgepark. They confirmed that the strips are covered for me. And I ordered them. I will report back how I made out with the billing and all.
 
Yeah, Phillips not changing the code back was what ran my bill from $50/month (still too high) to $248 per month.
 
Not sure if this helps, but my doctor put me in this companies program.

http://www.myphm.com/

I do test and email or call them with results and they contact my docs office who then call me with any adjustments.

Just started 3 months ago and my insurance originally said my cost would be either $10 or $20 per test, I cannot remember. But so far they have been paying it and I have not been billed anything.
 
does anybody know where i can get test strips for the coaguchek in canada they are very expensive here $8.00 a strip is that a standard price???
 
I have used Amazon and well satisfied. about $4.00/ strip for INRatio No Rx required
 
I pay the same in Alberta, I have a good plan through work and so does my wife and they will not cover any of it. Eight dollars a strip is the going rate. I am working in Denmark half the year and my INR is stable so I only test once a month as long as I do not miss a dose or mess up on the test.
I claim it at the end of the tax year on my medical expenses. I asked for a note from my Dr. saying that my machine, electric reclining chair and trips to the hospital were medically necessary and wrote everything off. You can also claim dis-ability deductions on Canadian taxes if you get a note from your Dr. Saying you have SOB which I was not aware of.
 
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