A Winkler resident living with Type 1 diabetes says Manitoba's coverage for Continuous Glucose Monitoring systems (CGMs) and insulin pumps continues to lag behind other provinces.

Just this month, Quebec expanded CGM coverage to people aged two years old and up living with Type 1 diabetes, and Saskatchewan kicked off its 100 per cent insulin pump coverage for all ages, joining a handful of other provinces and territories that already had similar plans in place.

In its latest budget, Manitoba announced plans to increase pump coverage from age 18 to 25, and started a CGM coverage program for those under 25.

Jen Dyck says with that narrow demographic, the government is ignoring a huge group of people.

“A big benefit of using both of these is during pregnancy," she said. "The average age of women at childbirth in Canada is aged 30. Our coverage stops at 25. If you have well-controlled blood sugars during pregnancy, it's going to eliminate things like birth defects, miscarriage, large for gestational age babies and stillbirths. These are all huge costs to the province.”

Dyck would like to see Manitoba match coverage programs like the ones in Quebec and Saskatchewan.

Related article: Advocate Says Provincial Support for Diabetics is Inadequate

Prior to the release of the 2021 provincial budget, Dyck broached the issue with Morden-Winkler MLA Cameron Friesen. Dyck says she hasn't yet been able to connect with Friesen, but noted she would love the opportunity.

"...to educate and make sure they know all the benefits, and that the benefits don't end at age 25. Right now, with us in our third wave of COVID, we really need to try and ease the burden on health care facilities. [People suffering] complications from high blood sugars will end up in the hospital. In some [cases] CGMs are a great way to eliminate that," said Dyck.

Dyck says local constituents need to keep pressuring the government to demonstrate the value of further expanding coverage eligibility.

 

Cameron Friesen's office submitted the following statement to PembinaValleyOnline late Tuesday morning.

“Our government was pleased to expand coverage for people living with diabetes in Manitoba's 2021-22 provincial budget, including a commitment to cover continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps for people under the age of 25. In fact, Diabetes Canada applauded the Manitoba government’s budget announcement, calling it a good step forward in recognizing the many challenges young Manitobans living with diabetes face.

Previously, the Manitoba government expanded coverage for the drug Tresiba, a long-acting insulin used to control high blood sugar, and moved insulin drugs Lantus, Levemir and Basaglar from Part 3 of the formulary to Part 1, to end the requirement for physicians to apply for coverage of these drugs before the patient gets it from their pharmacy.

The notion that Manitoba is falling behind other provinces in this regard is false - British Columbia, Alberta, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Nunavut, and Northwest Territories do not provide coverage for either CGM or Flash Glucose reader (FGM) devices.

Suggestions that I have not responded to this constituent are wrong. I met with this individual and other representatives of their grassroots advocacy group on April 1st at the Manitoba Legislature. Subsequently, I sent correspondence on April 26th to the individual with further information about our government’s investment in diabetes. Just weeks ago, representatives from this diabetes group formally met with the Acting Health Minister to further express their views, they had also previously met with the Health Minister in April. While many people are supportive of the expanded coverage for diabetes, it is clear that there is still more work to do, and our government remains committed to moving forward with Diabetes Canada and other trusted partners.”

Jen Dyck offered the following response:

"While I did briefly connect with Cameron Friesen on the steps at the Legislature on April 1, there are still some things that I would like the opportunity to help educate him on. For instance, he is unaware B.C. made the announcement earlier this week that they will have coverage for all ages for CGMs.

I am asking for coverage of CGMs and insulin pumps because I want to live, and my life is not less valuable then someone under the age of 25. Manitoba's pediatric pump program was started in 2012, and it has taken until 2021 to go from age 18 to 25. I am scared that I will need to wait another 9 years for them to cover it to age 30, only to miss that age restriction again. My life depends on my CGM. It's how I go to bed confident that I will wake up the next day.

B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, NWT, Yukon, and Nunavut have coverage for insulin pumps for all ages. B.C., Quebec, Ontario and Yukon have coverage for CGM or flash glucose for all ages. I am asking for a meeting with him because I think if he fully understood the situation, he would be pushing for coverage for all ages."