A GLOBAL research company says young Australians living in the Flinders electorate with type one diabetes (T1D) face an uncertain future due to “inequitable” access to life-saving technology.
A survey by T1D research organisation JDRF Australia reveals that Australians living with T1D are being forced to choose between funding lifesaving diabetes management technology and financial security, with more than 80 per cent of those paying out-of-pocket having to make sacrifices to afford the $5000 annual cost.
The organisation has used the opportunity to urge Flinders MP and Health Minister Greg Hunt to lobby the federal government to fund better access to treatments and less complicated reimbursement programs.
The survey found 91 per cent of respondents are forgoing savings to self-fund the technology, and more than half are anxious about their future due to the cost.
However, the claims have been disputed by Greg Hunt’s office, with the Health Minister in fact the first minister in Australia to introduce CGM to several groups, including children and young people under 21 with T1D and similar conditions, women with T1D who are planning or are pregnant, and people 21 and over with concessional status.
A spokesperson for Mr Hunt said he would continue to further expand CGM accessibility across Australia.
DRF Australia and the T1D community are calling for a whole of government commitment of $100 million annually to address the inequity and ensure access to technology is not dictated by age or circumstance.
The #AccessForAll campaign aims to remove barriers currently preventing many people from accessing technologies that will allow them to better manage their T1D and improve their quality of life.
Ahead of this year’s federal election, JDRF and other leading diabetes organisations are asking for the investment to support expanded access to continuous glucose monitors, flash glucose monitors and insulin pumps (tubed and patch pumps). The technologies are often out of reach for those who do not qualify for subsidised access and can’t otherwise afford the out-of-pocket costs.
A recent JDRF survey of Australians with T1D, including parents of children with the disease, found that almost 90 per cent of respondents said the use of a CGM or FGM was essential for managing T1D and more than 8 in 10 agreed it helped them feel more in control of their health.
Without subsidised access, CGMs/FGMs can cost up to $5000 a year.
JDRF Australia CEO Mike Wilson OAM said access to T1D monitoring technology should not be determined by birthdate or bank balance, but by professional advice and personal preference.
The survey questioned 415 Australians who have or care for a person with type 1 diabetes, and was conducted online between the 4 and 14 January 2022.
First published in the Western Port News – 23 March 2022
