What are the Financial Effects of Having Diabetes.

Bristol Diabetes . Access

Worse Off (UK).


Diet

On balance keeping to a healthy diet is more expensive. There are cheap and healthy foods though, many Fish for instance.

If you have the time you can prepare foods yourself, which can reduce the costs too and also you know precisely whats in it!

A simple example is mixing up oats, dried fruit and nuts or seeds to make your own muesli. To keep the cost down look for large 500g or 1Kg packs.

Jobs

Restrictions apply mainly to insulin users. Some of the complications of diabetes may also restrict you from some jobs.

I would also advise anyone to organise a new job before leaving an old one.

Life and Health Cover Insurance

The increase risk with diabetes makes both types of insurance cover more expensive.

Check any exclusions with care as well. The link below covers travel and motor insurance as well as life insurance.

Holiday Insurance.

Pre existing conditions are usually excluded from basic holiday insurance cover.

Changing medication up to 6 months before the trip may also lead to further expense too.

Car Insurance

Insurers may add a premium so its more important to shop around. They generally ask if your diabetes is under good control and will be more likely to add a premium if its not.

You must tell your insurers if you are on drug or insulin treatments for diabetes.

Blood Monitoring Meters

Not a major expense (about £15 upwards when I last looked) but they are not supplied by the NHS.

Better Off (UK)


Medication

No prescription charges if you are on insulin or drug treatments for diabetes.

This includes treatments for non diabetic problems and test strips.

Pension Annuities

Frankly as people with Diabetes are more likely to die early, pension annuities may be enhanced. This is especially true if your are in poor health.

If you are about to retire and shopping around for an annuity (pension) find out more on this! Its to late if you already have a pension though.

Please note that the following link is to a commercial site, this is not any sort of recommendation. Its potentially a lot of money so check it thoroughly.

Final Salary Pension Schemes

If you are a deferred member of a final salary scheme, that is have the left the company but still are a member of the pension fund.

Normally at your retirement age the pension will just be paid to you.

If you have serious health problems. It may be worth while comparing the annuity option to what you would receive from the final salary scheme.

This would involve transferring the pension to another pension provider. Take care with this one: As final salary schemes are usually better value and safer than other types of pension plans.

Eye Tests

Supplied free if you have diabetes.

Foot Care

Supplied free if you have diabetes. Take advantage at least of the annual review.