How to choose the right blood glucometer

This Week's Tip How to choose the right blood glucometer Today, there are many, quality-made home blood glucose meters on the market. Choosing the right one for you can be a little overwhelming. Many health insurance plans offer some type of coverage for diabetes testing supplies. However, in many cases, your insurance provider may recommend a ""preferred meter"" or a ""preferred brand"" that you must use in order to avoid paying a high co-pay. It is best to call your insurance company and ask if there is a preferred brand of glucometer. It may be financially wise for you to use the preferred meter to limit your ongoing costs. Test strips for most branded meters cost roughly $1 per strip—this can add up to $30 to over $100 per month depending on how often you test. If you do not have health insurance and must therefore pay out of pocket for your testing supplies, using an off-brand or private label meter may help ease the financial strain. These are fairly easy to find in most pharmacies and generic branded test strips typically cost about half the price of the brand-name strips, so shop around. If you have physical limitations, there are many glucometers on the market today that are well suited for people with arthritis or conditions that limit the use of their fingers and hands. Many meters also have features that are useful for people that are visually impaired. Choose the meter that is easiest for you to use if you have a particular need. More Tips for Testing Your Glucose More Tips for People with Diabetes   Diabetes Friendly Recipe Bavarian Beef This classic German stew is made with lean trimmed beef stew meat and cabbage. Get the Recipe See More Lower-Carb Recipes Nutritional Info Servings Per Recipe: 5  Amount Per Serving  Calories: 256.1 Total Fat: 10.1 g Cholesterol: 80.7 mg Sodium: 316.1 mg Total Carbs: 12.1 g   Dietary Fiber: 2.3 g Protein: 29.1 g View full nutritional breakdown of Bavarian Beef by ingredient     From Our Diabetes Community Corn Syrup (Secrets of Success) points, points , points (Team Forum) More Secrets of Success... More Forum Posts...       Was this e-mail forwarded to you by a friend? Join the mailing list. Change your e-mail address   You get 1 SparkPoint for reading today's email.   You received this email because you signed up for one of SparkPeople's email newsletters. To unsubscribe please do not reply to this message. Instead, you can use this link to unsubscribe from this newsletter. To remove yourself by postal mail, send a letter or postcard with your email address to: SparkPeople.com, 310 Culvert Street Suite 301, Cincinnati, OH 45202 SparkPeople.com offers general information and is for educational purposes only. sparkpeople.com is not a prescription system and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should consult your health-care provider before starting any nutrition or fitness program, and should consult with your provider about any concerns or questions. © 1999-2014 SparkPeople, All Rights Reserved | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy