Applications open Monday for help affording some diabetes equipment

The provincial government says as of June 3, people living with diabetes can apply for help with the cost of some equipment.

The Sensor-based Glucose Monitoring Program is income-tested, so households making less than $60,000 annually won’t have to pay a deductible, while those with incomes up to $150,000 will have to pay a deductible of between $500 and $1,000.

“It’s for those folks living with diabetes who take multiple daily insulin injections, so that could be people with type 2 diabetes as well,” Michelle Thompson, Nova Scotia Health Minister, said. “And of course, people would need to maximize their private insurance first before our provincial program would kick in.”

The province says the sensor-based glucose monitoring devices can range from $3,000 up to $4,000 per year, and this program comes with an investment of nearly $6 million.

There are about 107,000 Nova Scotians living with diabetes.

Applications can be made on the provincial government’s website. A portion of the form needs to be filled out by a service provider and a provincial spokesperson says that can be done by a pharmacist if people do not have a family doctor or nurse practitioner.