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Retiree and Dexcom Warrior Kim Baltimore, 66, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, has managed her Type 2 diabetes for more than two decades with varying degrees of success. But five years ago, things got easier thanks to the benefits of Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Systems.
“It was love at first sight,” she said.
And she recently discovered another benefit – Medicare covers her Dexcom G7, which has been a real game-changer. In fact, for many people with diabetes, Medicare covers Dexcom G6 and G7 when they meet certain criteria.
“If you have diabetes, are of a certain age and haven’t investigated Medicare, you are simply living beneath your privilege,” she said. “Don’t delay!”
Accepting her diagnosis
Kim retired after a career in administrative work in universities. But back in 2001, she began to feel itchiness in her toes and an unquenchable thirst. Frustrated, she visited her doctor, who did bloodwork, found her glucose level was around 400 and gave her a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.
“It runs in my family, but I was still completely shocked,” Kim said. As she began her management journey, she began to obsess over diabetes, lament the lifestyle and diet changes, and dread the fingerpricks.
“I used to take my cousins to church, and after we’d go to Wawa for hot dogs and donuts,” she said. “But after my diagnosis, that had to change because I was used to eating whatever I wanted. Though I always loved to walk, I was never physically active, so I now had to think about getting more active. And my poor fingers were so pricked that they were turning red.”
She also dealt with a sense of shame. In 2004, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Though she is a proud survivor, she recalled how doctors, friends and family treated that diagnosis differently compared with diabetes.
“With breast cancer, I was treated with such understanding and encouragement,” she said. “They were championing me. But with diabetes, you could tell their demeanor was different. As if having diabetes was my fault. My grandmother and brother had it too, so it’s looked upon in a way unlike any other disease. I remember my oncologist told me, ‘You’re not always going to have breast cancer, but you will have diabetes, so you’ve got to take care of that.’”
Covering the costs
As part of helping her take better care of herself, her doctors recommended the Dexcom G6 CGM about five years ago. She was reluctant initially, not sure if she “wanted to put something on my body.” But they gave her free samples, and she quickly changed her mind.
“It’s easy to use, and I was finally able to handle my glucose levels,” Kim said. “I felt empowered knowing what my numbers were not in 10 minutes, but immediately. But for me, at the time my health insurance didn’t approve it. My physician wrote a letter to them to emphasize it was critical, so they approved it, yet there were still costs. My husband and I decided it was worth spending the money, until I received Medicare. And now, it’s no charge!”
And it was easier than she thought. Her doctors gave her the number to a medical supply company and she met the criteria. The service now orders her Dexcom CGM and sends her a free three-months supply four times a year. The impact cannot be overstated, in her opinion.
“Now, we’re able to use that money someplace else, like toward our house or whatever the case is. Getting older is hard enough, so knowing you have Medicare coverage and don’t have to pay out-of-pocket just alleviates so much pressure.”
And that allows Kim to focus more on enjoying the benefits of Dexcom G7 CGM, which she recently switched to. She loves getting data on her Apple Watch,* faster warm-up time, smaller size and especially the Dexcom Clarity feature.
“You don't have to go into another app,” she said. “You can see what your numbers are immediately to your second day, seventh day, 14th day, 30th day and 90th day. And you can set your own pattern or goals of what you want it to be.”
She also appreciates Dexcom customer service.
“I can just call Dexcom and the technical support will answer your question,” Kim said. “I absolutely love their technical support department – it’s second to none. They get it right, they get right to the matter, they're professional, kind and that makes me happy.”
With her Dexcom G7 CGM helping her properly manage her diabetes and the cost covered fully by Medicare, she can focus less on her health concerns and dive into her passions – working tirelessly to help others in church groups and being a foster parent, to gardening and sharing the joys of cooking on her “Seasoned on Purpose” YouTube cooking channel.
Click here to learn more about insurance and Medicare coverage for Dexcom.
Get started on Dexcom G7
If you are living with diabetes and not using CGM, talk to your doctor about Dexcom G7. We can help you get started with a free benefits check. Click the button below to send us some basic information.
*Compatible smart devices sold separately. To view a list of compatible devices, visit dexcom.com/compatibility.
BRIEF SAFETY STATEMENT: Failure to use the Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring System and its components according to the instructions for use provided with your device and available at https://www.dexcom.com/ safety-information and to properly consider all indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and cautions in those instructions for use may result in you missing a severe hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) or hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) occurrence and/or making a treatment decision that may result in injury. If your glucose alerts and readings from the Dexcom CGM do not match symptoms, use a blood glucose meter to make diabetes treatment decisions. Seek medical advice and attention when appropriate, including for any medical emergency.