Glucose monitors are often given away free of charge, but the manufacturers make their real money on expensive test strips. If your insurance covers the cost of the strips, then you probably aren't concerned about that. If on the other hand you pay for strips out of pocket -- and many people even with insurance have to pay some or all of the cost for strips -- the expense can mount up significantly.
As for the monitors, there is a fairly wide range of features available on different models. Most high-end glucose monitors come with software that can collect and organize information ported from your glucose monitor to your computer. They are available from LifeScan, Accu-Check, Bayer, and many others. These and probably any other meter you want can be gotten free of charge either through the company that makes it or your doctor.
However, the test strips are definitely not free of charge. They can run anywhere from $100 to $125 per hundred. That means every time you test your blood sugar with their monitor it's costing you about a dollar or more. If you test three times a day your monthly test strip expense is ninety to a hundred and twelve dollars or more.
If your insurance doesn't pay for the strips or (heaven forfend) you don't have insurance, then you have to pony up. The one thing you must not do, obviously, is cut back on necessary testing in order to save money. It isn't worth saving a few dollars to put your health at risk.
If you are on any kind of budget and would like to save money on test strips, I heartily recommend (and use) the ReliOn Micro meter. It is sold through Walmart stores for about twelve dollars. Fifty test strips run about $22.00 (as of July 2009), about forty-four cents a strip. That comes to about $36 a month if you test three times a day. That is a significant difference, probably enough to pay your monthly electric bill.
There are also low-cost TrueTrack® meters and strips available at many drug stores such as Walgreen's, that can save you big on the expense of glucose monitor test strips.
When shopping for a glucose monitor of course you want to look for features such as porting. The present version of the ReliOn Micro does not port data to the computer like the high-end monitors do, but the next version will include that feature.
Whatever monitor you purchase, be aware of the cost for strips before you buy.
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