I just received a letter from my insurance company that pwds in the plan can get a new meter, strips, and lancets without paying anything. The new meter is made by Livongo, and I won’t have any out-of-pocket costs for strips this year if I use it. My health insurance company covers it in full.
Has anyone used this meter? Do you like it? Is it accurate? It looks a little big.
My insurance has previously only covered one touch with a copay.
Thanks!!
Wow, so that’s what happened to windows phones? They just turned them into diabetes meters? 
Go for it, give it a try. All new meters are FDA approved to meet certain accuracy standerds. You can check when you get for accuracy.
@Katers87 my coworker has it because her roommate works there.
Meter - approx size/shape of a palm pilot
Strips - Automatically show up based on usage
Coaching is available and they call when you are hypo (the meter has a cellular connection)
Dashboard IMHO is a little too AOL, but it does have all the relevant info.
I have no idea how accurate the meter is.
Here is the review of DiabetesMine:
And here is SixUntilMe:
http://sixuntilme.com/wp/2015/10/23/livongo-first-impressions-meter/
There is some bias in the reviews as both authors are friends of Manny Hernandez (founder of tuD):
Here are consumer reviews at Birdseye:
Finally, one short thread on tuD:
My own feedback: I did some due diligence on them a year ago. I was interested in the all you can eat approach (we use about 10 strips per day). I thought the meter was huge. I did not get to compare the meter with a Contour Next myself, but heard some negative reports of accuracy—can’t say if it is true or not. The coaching appeared a bit if a mishmash, I thought great for less experienced people but for us not so much. I was negatively surprised by their lack of progress in the market: their big launch was in 2014, but after 2015 not much has happened. Hardly anyone discusses them. In the end I decided not to pursue.
But—you are getting a free deal, harder to pass on:-) Any chance you can try it for 30 or 90 days? The primary concerns I would have would be:
Too bulky to carry?
How smooth is strip reorder?
How accurate?
Can meter data integrate with other data stacks?
Thanks! The meter sounds large. I’m not testing often now though with the G6.
Maybe I could carry my one touch around with me unless I get a bleeder upon sensor insertion. I could use the livongo when I get a bleeder and need to be testing often.
I wonder if my insurance company would cover the onetouch strips every once and awhile.
Thanks! I’ll look through some reviews. I appreciate all those links!
I’m not interested in the coaching at all. I would want the option to not share my data as well.
If I can keep filling my current one touch prescription when I need strips, then I’d happily sign up to get extra free strips with a new meter.
@Katers87 have you seen the mysugr bundles? Accucheck or contour next one meter
@elver, I can only find the Accu Check Guide in mySugr bundles. Do you have a link to the Contour option?
@Michel there was a reference here on the. Bundle page in the expanded menu.
Did you end up trying out this program, and if so do you have any update on it?
My insurance just started covering Livongo this year. The idea of free unlimited strips is nice, but the meter is so huge compared to my current tiny meter that it doesn’t seem worth it. I have have absolutely no need of or interest in any of the other features of the program.
I too also use a G6 and only use strips ~2x/day for verification & calibration, so this program seems a bit like offering a high-tech buggy whip to someone happily driving around in a car.
What was your experience with this program or why did you not sign up?
I planned to get around to it, but I’ve just had other priorities.
My thoughts exactly.
I also didn’t really know what would be shared with my insurance company, and I didn’t like the idea of giving them any more information than necessary.
I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.
I have a FreeStyle Libre, a Contour Next ONE and the Livongo. With all the accompanying stuff put into the pouches that each of these blood meters come with, I don’t think the Livongo pouch is that much bigger than the Contour pouch. That said, all the Livongo stuff is a bit bigger. But, since my employer just made some sort of arrangement with Livongo, I can’t say no to the unlimited free strips.
More importantly the arrangement is independent of my insurance, so having the Livongo doesn’t impact my insurance coverage of the FreeStyle Libre. The FreeStyle is my main meter and I only use the blood meters for backup and to check that the FreeStyle is doing what it should.
I like that it sends all the data to my phone. I like that I can log how I feel or if I’ve just had a meal. I like that I don’t have to buy batteries for the Livongo – I can recharge it like my phone. The Contour Next doesn’t do any of that. So, at this point, my Contour is stashed in a drawer and never gets used.
I had a company that paid for it, my issue was 1 micro liter of blood per test…which is similar to the original one touch…which is why the verio IQ exists… . .4 micro liters. Contour and freestyle neo is. .6 micro liters. Freestyle lite is. .3 micro liters. They do seem to hide this information for some reason, but you can always find it in reviews or manuals, etc
Correction… livongo is. .8 microliters… still seems like an excessive amount especially compared to a. .3 freestyle lite…I’m still surprised people carry around a libre reader and another meter…the libre reader is a precision neo glucometer…I use,xdrip and often keep the meter in the car, but if I used the libre reader, if probably do a prior authorization just to carry less in my pockets
The Libre meter tells me to check with a blood meter every now and then - typically if it sees glucose going high or low fast. It actually displays a symbol for it.