> The key is to avoid the big brand name meters,
> Get a meter from True or ReliOn. These are available retail online and at major brick and mortar pharmacies for around $10-15 for a kit that includes the meter, some lancets, and around 10 test strips. Example: [1].
Agree. When I shopped for a meter at my local Kroger pharmacy (King Soopers here) my only decision was how much are the strips. Mine is an OnSync, and the strips are branded Kroger; the in-store pharmacist told me that Kroger worked with a manufacturer to make an affordable setup.
Everyone has their needs and such, but all things being equal, shop for the cheapest strips, and then the meter that takes them.
https://medium.com/@chrishannemann/a-craftsman-blames-his-to...
https://medium.com/@chrishannemann/measure-seventy-five-time...
I have type 2, and don't know much about type 1, but I am assuming that the test strips are the same. If so, you can do better than 20-30 cents in the US.
The key is to avoid the big brand name meters, like Contour, FreeStyle, AccuCheck, and such.
Get a meter from True or ReliOn. These are available retail online and at major brick and mortar pharmacies for around $10-15 for a kit that includes the meter, some lancets, and around 10 test strips. Example: [1].
Strips are available retail for around $16-18 per 100 strips. Example: [2].
The big brand name meters are nicer. My Contour just feels higher quality than my True, and it shows the results a little faster, and the lancet device that came with it works a lot better...but the True gets the job done too, and there is no rule that says you have to use the lancet device that came with the meter.
It's easy to overspend in the US on health care. I'm on Metformin. I have insurance. If I get that prescription filled at Rite Aid a 30 day supply is about $90, with the cost to me being a $20 copay.
If I get that prescription filled at WalMart it is $4, and there is no point in bothering with insurance.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/TRUE2go-Blood-Glucose-Starter-Kit/dp/...
[2] https://www.amazon.com/TRUEtest-Test-Strips-100-Count/dp/B00...