Medication for type 2 diabetes has become more expensive: this is what it means for your health insurance | Money
--
If you have type 2 diabetes, your medications have become considerably more expensive. Last year you paid an average of 93 euros, in 2018 that was a lot less: on average 35.57 euros. Diabetes medicines are included in the basic package, but the costs are deducted from your deductible.
Patients with type 2 diabetes usually do not need to inject insulin. They often initially receive lifestyle advice or only use medication. To measure the price increase, Independer looked at the costs that insurers paid to pharmacists for 28 prescription medications for this type of diabetes. And they rose considerably, by 161.7 percent over the past five years.
According to the Dutch Diabetes Association, medication for people with type 2 diabetes has become more expensive because there are more and more people with type 2, which means that expenditure on diabetes medication has also increased. “The manufacturer is suffering from inflation, higher raw material prices and higher labor costs,” adds Karen Schipper, press officer at the Dutch Diabetes Association. “It may also be that there is still a patent on a new type of medicine, which makes it more expensive. So if people switch medicines, they will pay more for it.”
More than 1.2 million Dutch people
Figures from the Diabetes Fund show that more than 1.2 million people in the Netherlands have diabetes. The vast majority (1.1 million) have type 2 diabetes. “With type 2 diabetes, the body still produces insulin, but does not respond adequately to it. In diabetes 1, the body does not produce insulin,” GP and diabetes specialist Jacqui van Kemenade previously explained to this site.
The average costs for patients with type 1 diabetes actually decreased. That’s because all types of insulin became cheaper. On average by 14.13 percent between 2018 and 2022.
Also read: Fatigue, thirst and frequent urination can be signs of type 2 diabetes
Medicines in the basic package, but at your own risk
Whether you have to cover the increased costs yourself as a type 2 diabetes patient depends on your healthcare use. Diabetes medicines are included in the basic package, but the costs are deducted from your deductible. That has been set at 385 euros this year and next year. Only when you have ‘used up’ healthcare costs will the insurer step in. Mirjam Prins, healthcare expert at Independer: “If you do not incur any further healthcare costs, then you are not happy with these price increases.”
In general, all healthcare costs are rising, says Prins. “We are getting older, everything is becoming more expensive. These increased medicine costs are also an aspect of this.” This means that healthcare premiums have been rising steadily in recent years. The calculation premium for next year has been set by the outgoing cabinet at 149 euros, 12 euros more than this year. It is up to insurers to determine their own premiums for next year. This must be done before November 12. Prins: “It is not the case that people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to suffer from more expensive care and medicines than anyone else. We have a system of solidarity in which we share healthcare costs.”
Diabetics often also have annoying problems with their feet, such as skin and nail problems
Mirjam Prins, healthcare expert at Independer
Additional insurance?
“Diabetics often also have annoying problems with their feet, such as skin and nail problems,” says Prins. But please note: these treatments are not normally reimbursed by basic insurance. “The following applies to all these things: you must receive a referral from a specialist or general practitioner who believes that it is medically necessary. Then it is covered by basic insurance.” If not, in some cases you can cover it with a supplementary package.
In other words: if you think ‘I need a foot treatment sometime’ and go for a pedicure on your own, then it is probably not medically necessary. If it is medically necessary, it will also be deducted from the deductible. Prins: “The rule of thumb is actually: if the treatment takes place outside the walls of the general practice and you are referred to a specialist, then treatments are deducted from the deductible.”
According to the most recent figures from healthcare data agency Vektis, most people with diabetes live in Tiel. In this Gelderland municipality, no less than 15.3 percent of the residents have diabetes. The percentage is also much higher in Pekela (10 percent) and Stadskanaal (9.7 percent) in Groningen than elsewhere in the country:
Source: Independent
Unfortunately, we cannot show this social post, live blog or otherwise because it contains one or more social media elements. Accept the social media cookies to still show this content.
Would you like to stay informed about useful tips for managing your money and be inspired by how others manage their finances? Then follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss anything from the stars.
