And the choice is…

Next week I will be ordering a new pump or at least I hope I will. My decision could have been difficult, but because of the narrow time window for ordering my pump and looking at my future under Medicare, it was easy.

Timing:

As someone who uses a lot of technology to manage my diabetes, I satisfy my insurance deductible long before the end of the year. With my 2016 deductible satisfied, my pump will be covered at no cost to me—as long as it is shipped before the end of the year. I think I dawdled last time I purchased a pump and ended up with a warranty expiration date in December. Not great timing as I would feel more comfortable if I already had the pump in hand.

My timing is also affected by my move to Medicare in April 2017. I will have individual insurance for January-March, but it will have such a high deductible that a pump purchase would essentially be out-of-pocket. If for some reason I don’t get the new pump in December, I will wait until after April 1. It is not ideal to start Medicare needing a high-ticket item and I don’t know whether I would be forced to abide by the Medicare policy of a 5-year warranty on pumps. I don’t think so because Medicare did not purchase my current pump, but you never know.

Timing also affects what pump I will select. I would like the opportunity to try out the Medtronic 630G, but only if I would be eligible to upgrade to the 670G. Unfortunately I will be on Medicare by the time the 670G is released and Medicare beneficiaries are not allowed to participate in manufacturer upgrade programs. I have been told that this rule is part of anti-fraud regulations, but it truly makes no sense to me. It is not as though there is any cost to Medicare to allow me to upgrade if I pay the out-of-pocket cost (if any) and I don’t see how anything about it is fraudulent. But this is not a battle I can win and therefore I will not buy a Medtronic pump at this time. I don’t find the 630G sufficiently appealing to live with for 4 or 5 years especially since it uses the current generation of Enlite sensors and not the improved sensors that are part of the 670G system. I could wait until the 670G is released but there is no guarantee of Medicare coverage.

Pump Options:

Accu-Chek: I have never considered an Accu-Chek pump. I think some people are very happy with the Accu-Chek Combo, but there is little about it that excites me. I don’t want a meter-remote and given my recent experience with the Accu-Chek Connect meter, I don’t want to be tied to using Accu-Chek test strips. Just not a good fit for me.

Animas: I currently use an Animas Vibe and it is an okay pump although I do not use it as a Dexcom G4 receiver. I have a very difficult time reading the screen in bright sunlight and that has been a real problem when hiking. It has started to lose the date/time info when I change the battery and I would not trust it for very long as an out-of-warranty device. A new Animas pump with Dexcom G5 integration is on the horizon, but there is no timetable for its release. Four years ago I purchased an Animas Ping because the market release of the Vibe was expected to be any day. It was over two years later.

Insulet: I have never been interested in the Omnipod and do not mind pump tubing. Although some Medicare Advantage and Cost plans cover the Pod, basic Medicare does not. As someone moving on to Medicare in four months, there is no reason to fall in love with the Omnipod.

Medtronic: It is mostly a timing problem as described above. I won’t purchase the Minimed 630G because it is a Windows Millennium pump. If you don’t know what that means, you are lucky. We owned several Windows ME computers and they ended up being a very short-lived and poorly-supported generation of computers. If the 670G were available today, I would seriously consider it.

So what’s left???

Tandem: I have decided to go with the Tandem t:slim X2. I am excited to move to a touchscreen device and am especially excited about the integrated Bluetooth and Tandem Updater. Do you notice that I used the word “excited” twice? When I selected the Animas Ping four years ago, I considered the t:slim and passed on it because of the lack of an upgrade program and I didn’t want a rechargeable pump. I never liked my Ping and was jealous of those who “loved” and were “excited” about their t:slims.

A huge selling-point of the X2 is that it will allow users to update the software in the future to accommodate new features, the first being integration with the Dexcom G5 CGM. Automated insulin delivery algorithms are also on the horizon. I personally hope that the Bluetooth connectivity will allow Bluetooth BG meters to automatically populate BG numbers into the pump. Although Medicare does not allow participation in hardware upgrade programs, my fingers are crossed that software updates will be allowed. I discussed the Medicare problem with my local Tandem Rep and he indicated that Tandem is aware of the issue and hopes to make Medicare recipients eligible for software updates. I know that nothing is guaranteed.

To tell the truth, I still do not want a rechargeable pump. I have always liked the confidence generated by a spare battery in my meter case. But I will adjust.

One Worry:

My individual insurance policy is being cancelled at the end of the year because BCBS of MN is leaving the individual insurance market except for one hugely expensive policy. When I ordered sensors 10 days ago, the supplier indicated that I needed an insurance pre-authorization which I had not needed in several years. I panicked thinking that the insurance company was implementing a year-end money-saving policy of denying DME. I had visions of a new pump being denied. Fortunately Tandem has reviewed my policy and indicated that they are confident the pump will be approved. But until it is safely in my hands, I will worry. (And I did receive the sensors.)

Final Thoughts:

In our family we keep cars a long time. Although my primary car is a 2012 model, I still drive a 1999 SUV several times a week. As I age, it is easy to wonder if my current or next car will be my “last car.” That makes me a little sad because I love the excitement of buying and driving a new car.

I am not yet at the point where I think that the pump I select today will be my “last pump.” But with Medicare’s pump 5-year warranty policy, I am certainly not looking at an unending stream of new insulin devices. At age 64 I hope to have many years of continued good health and many more pumps, but the future is unknown. Will I get the opportunity to use an artificial pancreas-enabled pump? Maybe. Will I quit pumping entirely? Maybe. Will I some day live with implanted beta cells? Doubtful. Will I be cured of diabetes? No. I am not worrying about any of this. It is all in the “I wonder” category.

Today I look forward to using a Tandem X2 pump. Unlike previous pump decisions where I had doubts about the “right” choice, I am confident about this decision. I don’t expect absolute perfection with the X2, but I hope for excitement and the opportunity to have pump hardware that can move into the future with software changes. Fingers crossed.

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Pump comparison charts quickly become out-of-date as new pumps and manufacturers enter and leave the market. If you’re considering an insulin pump purchase, a good place to begin is here and here along with technology articles at Diatribe and Diabetes Mine. Ultimately manufacturer websites and sales reps are an excellent (but biased?) source for current information. And don’t forget to ask your DOC friends for their experiences and opinions.