The Hon. Mark Butler MP

Minister for Health and Aged Care

Senator Anne Urquhart

Chief Government Whip in the Senate

 MEDIA RELEASE

Diabetes support for Tasmanians

More people in Tasmania living with Type 1 diabetes are now able to access life changing subsidised Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) products to better manage their blood glucose levels.

The Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, announced the Australian Government will extend subsidised access to CGM products under the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS), effective from 1 July.

Australians over the age of 21 with Type 1 diabetes will be able to access CGM products through their pharmacy, with a co-payment equivalent to $32.50 per month or $390 per year. These life saving devices were previous costing them up to $5,000 per year.

“The Australian Government is investing an additional $273.1 million over four years to deliver our election commitments to better support people living with type 1 diabetes,” Minister Butler said.

“CGM technology is life-changing. Supporting more people with subsidised CGM products will improve the health and quality of life for tens of thousands of Australians living with type 1 diabetes.”

People who are currently eligible for CGM products through the NDSS will continue to receive products free of charge. This includes children and young adults under 21 with type 1 diabetes, concession card holders with type 1 diabetes, and people with type 1 diabetes who are pregnant, post-pregnancy or trying to become pregnant.

Welcoming Minister Butler’s announcement, Anne Urquhart, Senator for Tasmania, said the extended access would mean new hope and help for people living in North west Tasmania to manage their type 1 diabetes.

“This is great news for people with type 1 diabetes in our community,” she said. “CGM products help reduce complications from living with diabetes, and the need to see a doctor or go to hospital.

“While finger prick blood testing gives patients a glucose reading at a single point in time, CGM gives continuous glucose readings, including during sleep.”

People on the North West and West Coasts and King Island will be among the 71,000 more Australians who will now have subsidised access to CGM under the Government’s initiative. It means that, for the first time, all Australians with type 1 diabetes – around 130,000 people – will have access to subsidised CGM products.

The Government is also delivering on its commitment to expand the eligibility criteria for the separate Insulin Pump Program.

This will provide an additional 35 fully subsidised insulin pumps a year to allow young adults aged 18 to 21 with type 1 diabetes from financially disadvantaged families to benefit from this life-changing technology.

“Until now, this program has been limited to children up to the age of 18,” Senator Urquhart said. “Again, it is more great news to help people in our community to better manage their condition.”

More information about the Insulin Pump Program, including online application forms, is available at www.jdrf.org.au

Further information about the NDSS, including information about how to access CGM products, is available at www.ndss.com.au

FRIDAY, 8 JULY 2022