In response to advocacy efforts of the Endocrine Society and other organizations concerned with the care of patients with diabetes, United Healthcare has decided to provide coverage for low threshold suspend insulin pump systems, the first devices to be classified as artificial pancreas technology, effective May 1, 2015. The Endocrine Society had urged United Healthcare to provide coverage for low threshold suspend systems late last year and is pleased that the company has decided to do so.
When the Society learned that several private payers were proposing to eliminate coverage for low threshold suspend systems, which are the first devices to be classifi ed as artificial pancreas technology, it strongly opposed the elimination of coverage for artificial pancreas device systems which are FDA-approved and have been used in numerous countries for several years.
The Society has received responses from several other payers stating that they were reviewing their policies and would have a determination in the coming weeks. The Society will continue to advocate on behalf of coverage for the next generation of technologies that could pave the way for the artificial pancreas and will update its members when additional information becomes available.