In..cre…ment…al…Change

So, you might have seen this news from Eli Lilly and Company this week…

Lilly Diabetes Solution Center Now Open to Help People with Insulin Affordability

If you haven’t read it yet, here’s the short version: Lilly Diabetes has set up a dedicated unit with the purpose of helping people who are having trouble covering their insulin costs.

This is just my viewpoint, and you are free to disagree if you like. I’ve considered this announcement with the old Pros and Cons exercise. First the Cons, then the Pros.
 
 
Cons

– When I think of the term “Diabetes Solution Center”, I think of a mythical place where I’d go to be cured of this condition. That would make insulin a hell of a lot less expensive.

– Insulin is too expensive, price increases have been far too frequent, and we can measure Lilly’s revenue from insulin in billions of dollars. Per year. Why not just lower the price?

– You can only access the Diabetes Solution Center by phone. And it’s not a toll free call. In addition, the Diabetes Solution Center is only open from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time (US) Monday through Friday. That’s 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the west coast, and 3:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Honolulu.

– Most people, especially vulnerable populations, only find out about price increases when they go to fill their prescriptions. Many pharmacists, because of contracts they sign with Pharmacy Benefit Managers, aren’t allowed to inform patients of the Diabetes Solution Center. That’s what’s known in business circles as a “gap”.
 
 
Pros

– The day before this announcement, Eli Lilly & Co. didn’t have this option available to patients who struggle to afford the insulin they need to live.

– Lilly is spending money on technology and manpower to staff the Diabetes Solution Center.

– I think, and this is just my interpretation, that Lilly Diabetes is finally coming to grips with the fact that insulin affordability and insulin access are major issues. You can opine on how much they have to do with insulin affordability in America, but again… no one is holding a gun to their heads to force them to do this.

– If one person, or two people, or a hundred people are helped so they feel less burden, pay less for insulin, get more assistance in meeting their deductible, the Diabetes Solution Center will be a godsend for those who are impacted.
 
 
As much as it pains me to admit it, we were never going to go from non-affordable insulin to affordable insulin overnight. This move by Eli Lilly & Co. stops far short of what almost all of us want. But at least it’s a move in the right direction. Incremental change is still change.

August 2, 2018 – 4:28 pm Categories: Diabetes | Comments (1)

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Diabetes By The Numbers: Mike Lawson.

Mike Lawson is easy to talk to. He’s been on the podcast before, in one of his many roles with Diabetes Hands Foundation. Today, Mike still has a number of roles… in addition to a full time job, he’s a board member at T1 International.

And he’s written a book!

Open Up Your Bag is a delightful children’s book that helps familiarize young ones to the everyday tasks that come with living with diabetes. As Mike mentions, it also helps facilitate discussion about life with diabetes between kids and their parents.

If you’re a fan of Mike’s artwork at DHF and elsewhere, you’ll notice it in the new book because he’s the illustrator too! In fact, that image above is me, along with the title of the book. And I love it.

In our conversation, we talk about the book, about Mike’s creativity, and his lifelong love of children’s literature. It’s a terrific chat, and a terrific book.
DBTN

Reference Material – Click below for more information on this topic

Mike Lawson’s new book, Open Up Your Bag, is available via Amazon:
Get your copy of Open Up Your Bag

You can find coloring and activity sheets for Open Up Your Bag by going to Diabetes Doodles:
diabetesdoodles.com

July 31, 2018 – 10:11 am Categories: Diabetes By The Numbers | Comments (1)

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It can’t be all diabetes all the time.

A unique thing happened last week. For the first time all year, I took an extra day off of work for something that didn’t involve diabetes advocacy, service to the community, or going to a conference.

So we literally took off… we left to spend the weekend in nearby Virginia.

We visited some of our favorite wineries. We enjoyed the majestic scenery of the Shenandoah mountains and the surrounding valleys. Most of all, we relaxed and let the other side of our brains take over for a while.

I’ve been involved in so much this past year, more than I ever thought I’d be involved in when I found this community about seven years ago. But it can’t be all diabetes all the time. I was so grateful for the chance to (mostly) unplug and recharge.

And since this is a personal blog (and sometimes I forget that), I thought I’d post a few photos from the weekend, in the hope that you will find it relaxing too. Enjoy the rest of your week.






July 26, 2018 – 10:11 am Categories: Non-D Day | Comments (1)

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Language I can appreciate.

In a moment of complete boredom last week, I actually Googled the word “diabetes”. You know, just to see what would come up.

Fortunately, the top search results were primarily from diabetes organizations here in the USA, and from various diagnosis/doctor websites. In all those cases, the groups devoted a page, or part of a page, to describe what diabetes is.

So, because I like a little adventure now and then, I decided to check out all those descriptions. Well, not all, really. In fact, I looked at about ten of them. I didn’t want to be too adventurous, after all.

Far and away, I thought the best description belonged to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, or NIDDK, because I can never remember National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

NIDDK is a division of the National Institutes of Health here in the United States, and they do a tremendous amount of work in this area. They are among the most important of government workers dedicated to diabetes research.

I liked their description because, first of all, they described diabetes in succinct, easy to understand terms. I also liked this little bit they threw in too:

“Sometimes people call diabetes “a touch of sugar” or “borderline diabetes.” These terms suggest that someone doesn’t really have diabetes or has a less serious case, but every case of diabetes is serious.”

The description goes on to mention the most common types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2, and also has links to other forms of diabetes like monogenic diabetes (like MODY) and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes. Most descriptions online leave these out completely.

The page also lists the latest statistics on the prevalence of diabetes in my country, and links to what I think are important things to remember if you live with diabetes.

For now and future reference, you can find the full description HERE.

It seems we spend a lot of time these days noting when people get the facts wrong about diabetes. Just as important, I think, is noticing when we see the facts clearly presented as they are, in language that nearly everyone can understand. Trust me… it’s worth the bookmark.

July 24, 2018 – 10:11 am Categories: Diabetes | Comments (1)

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Diabetes and the Gig Economy.

The Gig Economy… currently, one of my favorite buzzwords (not), along with Blockchain (not).

According to a McKinsey & Company report from almost two years ago (and that’s a lifetime these days), 20 to 30 percent of working age adults in the United States and Europe spend all or part of their work week as part of the Gig Economy. That’s over 160 million people.

The report also notes that technology improvements are primarily responsible for driving innovation and creating new jobs for people like Uber drivers, Etsy entrepreneurs, and YouTube channel stars, among others. Yet it also notes that only 15 percent of “independent workers”, as they call them, are actively engaged on digital platforms as a part of earning their income. I find that 15 percent number to be suspect, and for what it’s worth, I’m thinking it must be much higher than that.

Anyway, this is a diabetes blog, and you’re probably wondering what the heck this has to do with diabetes. Does the Gig Economy have anything to do with diabetes at all? The answer, as in so many things, is Yes and No.

Look, there are many people working independently to improve the lives of people living with diabetes. There are people working independently to create and maintain their own closed loop AP system. There are those working on better products, better apps for us to help track our diabetes. I even know people who did crowdsourcing to help fund their book launch. Heck, I’m blogging independently, and that certainly seems like work sometimes.

The thing is though, almost everyone involved in diabetes-specific independent work is doing it for absolutely no money at all. We’re performing the Gig without the Economy. I don’t mind that so much myself, but it’s also why it’s been quite a while since I agreed to write for a company-sponsored website. If I’m going to work for free (like I do here), I’m going to do what I like, when I like doing it.

Those DIY #OpenAPS experts? They’re not taking the time to set up and maintain their systems so they can make some extra money. They’re doing it for quality of life, for themselves, and their families. And frankly, some are helping others do the same thing without ever seeing an extra dime.

Because diabetes, despite all the technological advances of the past 15 years, still relies on the individual for success. We can’t farm the work out to someone else to do in the evening or on weekends, or when we’re sick or we’re on vacation. We can’t hire anyone to insert a CGM sensor or count carbs or inject insulin. Oh, if only we could. We could make a fortune moonlighting, while others could unplug for a much-needed rest.

To the extent we’re involved in the Gig Economy at all, for most of us, it’s so we can earn a little extra in order to afford supplies, drugs, or a trip to a conference that allows us to learn and grow and spend time with others like ourselves.

You see, we already have a gig. It’s called staying alive. Our economy revolves around getting enough money put together to be able to afford to stay alive. We’re good at our gig because we have to be. We work hard at it so we can maintain a life, not build a lifestyle.

July 19, 2018 – 10:11 am Categories: Diabetes | Comments (1)

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