The B.C. government is now covering the cost of new medical devices for people with diabetes.
B.C. officials said the province’s PharmaCare will pay for patients receiving new FreeStyle Libre devices.
The FreeStyle Libre is a flash glucose monitor (FGM) that allows users to find out their blood-sugar levels by swiping a device or smartphone over a sensor.
“Glucose monitors enable patients or their caregivers to take action sooner, and help protect people by empowering patients, caregivers and clinicians to identify glucose trends and adjust medications, activity and food intake,” said B.C. government officials.
The FreeStyle Libre allows patients to manage blood-sugar levels without having to prick their fingers throughout the day for manual testing.
“An FGM system uses an externally worn glucose sensor that is inserted under the skin of a person’s upper arm,” said B.C. government officials. “When the sensor is ‘flashed’ or scanned with a reader device or smartphone, it transmits the real-time glucose reading and information to the user. A sensor can be worn continuously for as many as 14 days.”
The device will be paid for under a limited-coverage benefit as of Tuesday.
A limited-coverage benefit is applied to treatments that may be more expensive or not usually used as a first option. This means it will be covered only for patients who meet specific criteria.
According to Diabetes Canada data from 2022, about 577,000 British Columbians are living with diabetes.
“Diabetes affects the body’s ability to regulate blood glucose levels,” said Provincial Government officials. “The complications of poorly controlled diabetes range from acute (e.g., fatigue, ketoacidosis, seizures) to chronic (e.g., nerve and organ damage). In Canada, diabetes is the sixth-leading cause of death and the leading cause of blindness, end-stage kidney disease and non-traumatic amputation.”