Diabetes Supplies and Equipment

TRICARE covers a variety of diabetes supplies and equipment.

Depending on your needs, diabetes supplies and equipment may fall under your medical benefit, your pharmacy benefit, or both.

Medical Benefits

TRICARE covers the following diabetes supplies as durable medical equipment under your medical benefit:

• Home glucose monitors
• FDA-approved continuous glucose monitoring devices when there is documentation by the physician of:
  • Poor diabetic control after six months of multiple daily insulin injections or insulin pump therapy
  • Blood glucose self-testing at least four times a day
  • Completion of a diabetes education program
• Insulin infusion pumps if you have:
  • Insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes and a diagnosis of poor diabetic control
  • Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes with a documented diagnosis of poor diabetic control and a documented failure to achieve glycemic control after six months of multiple daily injection therapy

Pharmacy Benefits

You can get these supplies through your pharmacy benefit:

• Insulin products
• Blood glucose strips
• Blood and urine ketone/acetone test stripes
• Diabetes syringes, needles, and lancets
• Continuous glucose monitoring systems

• Items must be prescribed by a TRICARE-authorized provider.
• You must get items from:
  • A TRICARE-authorized DME supplier,
  • A military pharmacy,
  • TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery, or
  • A TRICARE retail network pharmacy
• You need prior authorization to get a continuous glucose monitor at a pharmacy, even if you’ve received approval under your medical benefit.

Your costs depend on your plan, your beneficiary category, and where you get supplies.

• Check health plan costs to find your DME costs.
• Check pharmacy costs to find what you’ll pay at different pharmacy types.