Life is about to become much easier for 130,000 Australians as the government keeps an election promise.
Australians living with type 1 diabetes will now have access to life-saving devices at an affordable price.
The Albanian government has fulfilled a bipartisan election promise made in April to provide 130,000 Australians living with type 1 diabetes with access to subsidized products to control blood sugar.
Continuous glucose monitors are small portable devices that monitor glucose levels automatically, providing readings every few minutes using smartphone apps.
People living with type 1 diabetes should check their glucose levels several times a day to make sure their blood sugar levels are not too high or low.
Until now, diabetics had had to check their glucose levels through painful tests.
Under the new program, Australians over the age of 21 with type 1 diabetes can access CGM products through their pharmacy for less than $ 400 a year, a fraction of the $ 5,000 it used to cost them annually.
People with type 1 diabetes who are already eligible for products through the National Diabetes Services Scheme (including children and young adults under the age of 21, grant card holders, and people who are pregnant, pregnant, or try to get pregnant) will continue to receive them. for free.
Eligibility for the insulin pump program will also be expanded to include young adults up to 21 years of age.
An additional 35 fully subsidized insulin pumps per year will be provided to enable young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 with type 1 diabetes from economically disadvantaged families to benefit from the technology.
Previously, the program was limited to children up to 18 years of age.
“We are supporting tens of thousands of adults who would otherwise be lost and offering certainty to young people who currently have access,” said Federal Health Minister Mark Butler.
The program will cost the federal government $ 273 million over four years.
Butler acknowledged the work of thousands of Australians living with type 1 diabetes and their families who campaigned for change.