‘It’s no rocket science’: Diabetics say getting coverage under NS programs is a struggle

A Type 1 diabetic who recently moved to Nova Scotia says he paid hundreds of dollars out of pocket when trying to apply for provincial programs that help cover the cost of insulin and supplies.

Beck Marie, 28, moved from British Columbia to Bridgewater, NS, earlier this year, where she was covered for devices like insulin pumps and glucose monitoring sensors.

Mary, who had no primary care provider at the time, said that applications to obtain coverage for pumps and sensors in Nova Scotia require the approval of specific health care specialists located in the province.

Mary said, “I have all my records from BC and Ontario that show I’ve been on this exact insulin pump for 10 years. Like it’s not rocket science. I’m diabetic. It’s not going to go away.”

Access to a specialist was a problem, Mary said. She said she was told the wait time to see an endocrinologist, a doctor whose expertise includes treating diabetes, was 18 months.

Instead, Mary spent four months visiting pharmacies, emergency departments and clinics looking for someone who could help, paying up to $800 a month to cover the cost of insulin and equipment.

Mary said, “It was just a lot of it for me, calling around, going to places, driving to the pharmacy after work, seeing who was available, waiting for appointments, getting referred over and over again, making lots of phone calls.”

Mary said a nurse at a clinic was able to provide six months’ worth of insulin and supplies, but she still needed approval from a specialist, such as an endocrinologist, for permanent coverage.

Devices improve quality of life

Nova Scotia offers two programs to help cover insulin pumps and glucose monitoring sensors. They require different applications.

Insulin and the devices are not covered under Nova Scotia’s provincially-run pharmacare program as they are in B.C., one of three provinces and one territory in the country that have signed up. Pharmacare agreements with the federal government,

According to Diabetes Canada, cost is the biggest barrier to accessing pumps and sensors, but these devices have become the standard of care and have significantly improved quality of life for those who use them.

“[People]have better diabetes-related outcomes. They’re less likely to be hospitalized. They have a longer life expectancy,” said Laura O’Driscoll, senior manager of policy at Diabetes Canada.

Early last year, the federal government announced a plan for universal pharmacare that would cover diabetes medication, but it has not yet come to fruition.

O’Driscoll said a national plan would expand access to pumps and sensors and make life easier for many Canadians living with diabetes.

‘It’s very tiring’

Mary would like to see a national plan established, but in the meantime she believes Nova Scotia’s program, which launched last year, could be improved.

The Department of Health and Welfare declined an interview request from CBC News.

In a statement, a spokesperson said the province’s diabetes programs were designed to help Nova Scotians without primary care provider access support.

The statement said diabetes centers are located throughout the province and anyone struggling to get help can contact the province’s diabetes care program.

Mary said when she tried to contact the program, she couldn’t reach anyone. She said that when they finally arrived at the diabetes center at the hospital in Lunenburg, only one health professional was working and they told Mary he did not have the authority to sign her application.

Managing diabetes can take a lot of effort, but getting help shouldn’t make it more difficult, Mary said.

“There are all these barriers to getting into the program to get the equipment that I need, it was just exhausting,” Mary said.

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