Costs and underuse of insulin and diabetes supplies: Findings from the 2020 T1International cross-sectional web-based survey
Elizabeth Pfiester, Katarina Braune, Axel Thieffry, Hanne Ballhausen, Katarzyna Anna Gajewska, Shane O’Donnell
Abstract
AIMS: To investigate self-reported out-of-pocket expenses (OoPE) associated with insulin and diabetes supplies for people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) worldwide. METHODS: A web-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted from August to December 2020. The analysis included comparisons between responses from countries with no, partial, and full healthcare coverage. RESULTS: 1,066 participants from 64 countries took part in the study. ~25% of respondents reported having underused insulin at least once within the last year due to perceived cost. A significant correlation was observed between OoPEs and reported household income for respondents with partial healthcare coverage. 63.2% of participants reported disruption of insulin supplies and 25.3% reported an increase of prices related to the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms previous reports of ~25% of people in the United States with T1D using less insulin and/or fewer supplies at least once in the last year due to cost, a trend associated with the extent of healthcare coverage. Similar trends were observed in some middle/low income countries. Moreover, patients reported an increase in insulin prices and disruption of supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study highlights the importance of self-reported OoPEs and its association with underuse/rationing of insulin.