Kathy is a diabetic who takes two types of insulin to manage her condition and tests her blood sugar three times a day, but after being injured in 2010 she had to switch from full-time to part-time work and was struggling to pay for her expensive medications after the decrease in income. At 60 years old, Kathy doesn’t qualify for Medicare yet and was unable to successfully manage her diabetes.
Kathy turned to Lifeline for the Empowerment and Development of Consumers, the Community Action Agency in Lake County, for assistance. Lifeline was able to provide Kathy with an emergency one-month supply of her medications and supplies, such as syringes and blood glucose test strips, as well as devise a long-term plan for her. Kathy’s case manager informed her of a patient assistance program through the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture her insulin and helped her complete the necessary paperwork. This will provide her with a long-term remedy until she is able to qualify for Medicare in a few years.
“I am always worried about how to get my insulin because it is so expensive and I just don’t qualify for Medicare yet. Lifeline helped me get my insulin right away and then also helped me to get it long-term through a program they knew about,” Kathy said. “I am very grateful.”
Thanks to assistance from Lifeline, Kathy was able to have her immediate, emergency need for medication met, as well as long-term maintenance assistance required to keep her diabetes managed successfully, which will save on additional costly medical issues in the long run, and allow her to live a healthy life.