The easiest way to get yourself a free meter and supplies is to shop around at your local pharmacy. A large number of chain pharmacies offer mail-in rebates that cut the cost of their store brand meters and the initial kits down to nothing. This will at least get you started. If you are one of the lucky few that have insurance that covers both a meter and testing strips at no cost, then your trip is as simple as a doctor visit to grab a prescription, then one trip to the pharmacy to drop it off to be filled. To ensure the best results, make sure you contact your insurance company to get the name of the meter and supplies that they cover.
There are a number of online services that offer a free glucometer and testing supplies shipped to you through the mail as well. These are convenient and easy to use, as a large number of them are already linked to major pharmacy chains that have great reputations. Imagine, not having to wait in line to pick up your monthly supply of testing strips. Instead, they are shipped to you regularly every month, several days before you run out of them. It makes things a great deal simpler, and it also avoids the off-chance that the pharmacy you go to might be out of your particular type of strips.
With these services, the billing is also automated as well. You can set up a number of different ways, from placing your order online each month to having it shipped automatically on the same date every month. Also, a lot of the online services allow you to fill at a local pharmacy if you are in a pinch, either from losing some of your strips or because of travel. Each company has different policies where this is concerned, so make sure to find out what you can and cannot do, and if you think you might need more strips on a trip, place your order early so that you don’t run out while your having fun. With this added level of convenience and the improvements in diabetic testing technology, it makes it easier to get by as a diabetic, without it crippling your lifestyle. Remember, doctors aren’t trying to ruin your life when they set you up with diabetic supplies, they are trying to save it.