Ordered one; I hope this will serve me well and make it easier to share data with my endocrinologist. I don't always wear my CGM, and when I don't it's hard to let them know what my manual test results were.
Glucose meters are eligible for FSA reimbursement, so this is a good use of half of the remaining funds from 2016's FSA. I'll have to decide whether to pay for the test strips via FSA as well (that's also an eligible expense) or pay out of pocket, but either way, the cost for this is about the same as what I pay now for lancets and test strips through an ongoing prescription. If it doesn't work out, I can always use my current meter.
As for lancing devices, the cost for those is trivial. It's always been the case that the test strips are the profit center. And, unfortunately, every meter uses a different type of test strip so it's impossible to buy a generic strip that works with brand-name meters. It's disgusting. At least this meter has a flat-rate monthly price for whatever number of test strips you need, and the amount you get is the amount you actually need/use. I looked at my copay history and the comparison is favorable for me.
According to the FAQ, the lancing device uses generic lancets. That's something that'll cost less than the meter I've got now, as I'm not sure that generic lancets work with its lancing device. You can get a box of generic lancets (commonly 100 per box) for a few dollars at most major pharmacies, and not everyone replaces the lancet with each test so each box can last a long time. (Not advised, but people do it). Lancets do not require a prescription to purchase.
The no-prescription-required deal here is also good. I do maintain prescriptions for the medications I use and I do easily get prescription renewals from my clinic, but not
having to have one is one less hassle to remember to handle.
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Dexcom does this now, and feeds the glucose into the Health App now. Pretty cool, and now that the FDA says that we can use CGM readings for dosing, I think that this new blood checker, cool as it is, may have limited days. Dexcom is also working on a new system that only has to be calibrated once per 7 days, and rumors are that it may go up to 14 days.
Also, the Dexcom uses BT LE for the transmitters, so I can get 30 foot range between me and the phone. I haven't used the Libre, only the Dexcom 7, G4, and G5, and the Minimed Harpoon...errr... CGM from 2007.
Having said all that about CGM, finger sticks are still the 'gold standard'.
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That's the hard part for other companies, and this new one is a boon for those whose strips aren't covered. Lifescan has a death grip on insurance companies, as I've been with a few, and they seem to be in all the formularies as a cheapy prescription, and anything other brand seems to be a 'premium' brand, and visiting the local Walgreens doesn't offer much rationale to those decisions
I have a Verio meter now and I haven't been happy with its app or its sharing options. My copay is similar to yours, but the particular meter I am using right now doesn't work with generic lancets to the best of my knowledge. Keeping roughly the same monthly cost for the amount of test strips I need with better app support and better sharing is personally worth it for me.
I did once try to switch to a different brand of meter, but my insurer refused to cover it as it wasn't a OneTouch meter. That bothered me, as I think I should be free to use whatever meter I'd like to use as long as it meets FDA requirements as all such meters are required to do. Why is one meter okay but another is not?
I've also had this problem with some medications, and now I have to use one that is painful to administer instead of another that was painless because my insurer refused to cover the painless one and out of pocket it was hundreds of dollars. Both treat the same condition, are FDA approved for the same "label", and have the same effect/results. I never got a satisfactory explanation, either.
