Alberta expands diabetes coverage to diabetes 'game changer' treatment

Continuous glucose monitors are a wearable device that tracks blood sugar every few minutes, giving diabetics a real-time look at their levels through the entire day. (file)

The government of Alberta is expanding access to technology used to better manage diabetes.

In a Monday press release, the province announced it was expanding coverage for continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), a wearable device that helps diabetics track glucose levels 24-hours a day.

According to Diabetes Canada, the devices give people a more complete picture of their blood sugar, which can help with short- and long-term treatment. 

Peter Senior, director of the Alberta Diabetes Institute, is "delighted" with the expansion.

"CGM has been probably the game changer in my clinical practice in diabetes over a number of years," Senior said. "It provides an insight, and a perspective and a safety that is second-to-none."

The province reports there are about 1.3 million Albertans who live with either diabetes or pre-diabetes, and that number is expected to rise to 1.7 million by 2034.

Senior said CGMs offer the most benefit to diabetics with "unpredictable" blood sugar levels, who can experience debilitating blood sugar drops.

"That will mean that they'll become incapacitated … could be in an accident, could be fatal," he added. "These continuous glucose monitors provide early warning."

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Keeping blood sugar levels in ideal ranges also helps prevent some of the associated risks with diabetes, Senior said, such as problems with the eyes, nerves, feet and kidneys.

Diabetes Canada reports that a CGM can cost between $3,000 and $6,000 per year.

In February 2022, Alberta began covering CGMs for youth. Senior said that cost has kept the technology largely inaccessible for many low-income adults, such as seniors and people on income support.

He said the new program is straightforward without "too many hoops to jump through," and will be available to anyone who injects insulin multiple times a day or uses an insulin pump.

The province estimates 23,500 adult Albertans became eligible for coverage on Monday.

Funding for the first two years of the $66-million expansion will come from the Canada-Alberta health-care agreement with the federal government.

Coverage will be delivered through Alberta Blue Cross. Eligible diabetics without private drug coverage can subscribe to a non-group Blue Cross plan for CGM coverage.