How much is the fight worth?

I dont remember if I ever posted before about wanting to get a continous glucose monitor system for Jessi. (I am sure I have complained before). Insurance denied it in January, saying it is experimental. In a round about way they are right, it is only FDA approved age 7 and older. Jessi is 6 1/2. Then again, Lantus insuln wasnt approved for toddlers when she was on it and insurance paid for it, pumps werent approved for 15 mth olds and insurance paid for it.. see where I am getting at.. I am sure I can appeal and by the time it all goes through the different processes, she would be 7 anyways, and then it would be a different fight.

After being denied by insurance to purchase a CGMS, the dr sent over a request for a trial CGMS. Usually those are approved. Well Humana insurance just sucks.. First they said they didnt get it, and then they said that the dont take predeterminations by fax, it must be mailed etc.. I just gave up on them. I called the local minimed rep ( that is who makes the cgms we want) and asked if they had one I could borrow. A few phone tag games, and 3 weeks later, Jess got hooked up.

She started wearing the cgms on tues afternoon. I am in love. She has another "site" similar to the pump site, and she has another device to carry, similar to her pump but wtih no tubing. The sensor actually does glucose checks every 5 mins, and relates the info to the pump looking device. It has alarms to tell you if she is too low/ too high.. if her glucose levels are changing in either direction to rapidly, and based on trends and patterns, it will alert you if she is on a trend to be high/low. Normally we could check Jessi's blood sugar 10-12 times a day. The CGMS checks her 288 times a day.

So, our trial run out tonight at 6pm. As much as Matt and I like the device, we believe it is up to Jessi, since she is the one wearing it. She wants one!!! YEA!! The cgms costs around $1500 to start, then about $60 a month for sensors. To me, this is pocket change when it comes to down to what great things this little pager looking thing will do for Jessi.

We just got done with a long drawn out fight with the school district. Is $1500 really worth fighting insurance for? Matt and I plan to talk this weekend and make a decision. Do we get it now and fight insurance in September to pay for the sensors, or just wait till Sept and reapply through insurance to get covered?