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Advocacy Campaign

ADVOCACY GOAL: To advance the treatment options available to Canadians living with type 1 diabetes. This campaign focuses on FIASP and FREESTYLE LIBRE because many insurers are actively considering coverage of these items.

We have a bottleneck of diabetes treatments (FIASP and FREESTYLE LIBRE so far) that some insurers are ignoring or not covering.  Health Canada may approve TRESIBA, an ultra-long-acting basal insulin, in a matter of weeks/months. We hope the MEDTRONIC 670G (closed loop hybrid) and AFREZZA (inhaled insulin), which are both available in the US, will be here soon.

PROBLEM ONE: If insurers consider multiple treatment options at the same time, they may pick and choose what they will and will not cover.

PROBLEM TWO: If/once insurers decide against covering a drug or technology, it will be hard to change their minds.

Getting FIASP and FREESTYLE LIBRE approved as quickly as possible makes space for the new treatments to come.

PHASE ONE of this campaign involves contacting your PRIVATE INSURANCE and sharing what you found. Calling your insurance helps: insurers will not offer coverage unless they feel there is demand. (We will work on public/provincial/pharmacare plans later.)

STEPS:

  1. Choose how you will contact your insurance. Many insurers offer email addresses, web contact forms, or even online chat. (We may have already looked up your insurance's contact options: check here.)
  2. Ask them about their coverage for FIASP and FREESTYLE LIBRE. You can give them these identifiers:

    The DINs for FIASP are: 02460408 (vial), 02460416 (cartridge), and 02460424 (pre-filled FlexTouch pen).
    The PINs for FREESTYLE LIBRE are 97799170 (reader) and 97799171 (sensors).

    You should not need to submit paperwork for pre-authorization. Novo Nordisk and Abbott have surely blanketed all Canadian insurers with persuasive documents highlighting the costs and benefits.
  3. Ask your insurance when they will decide if they have not made a decision yet.
  4. Consider escalating to a manager or supervisor if you don't feel confident in the response or aren't happy with the process.
  5. Share what you've learned by completing the form on this page.

And, finally, pat yourself on the back! Great job! And, hey, in an ideal world?  If pharmaceutical companies could count on strong advocacy from every single Canadian affected by T1D, maybe they would bring new treatment options here, first, every time.

This form will collect information about your private insurance coverage for FIASP and FREESTYLE LIBRE. All questions are optional.

By submitting your form, you consent to Type 1 Together reviewing, summarizing, sharing, and storing your information. You will not be individually identified. Any identifying information that you provide will remain confidential. We hope summaries of these results will be shared and used widely.

Please contact us at admin@type1together.ca if you have any questions.

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