As the costs of living with Type 1 diabetes continue to increase, we thought it was important to help you take a look at what the costs for you, as an individual are, associated with taking care of your Type 1 diabetes in Canada. Throughout our 5 part blog series, we’ll be featuring opportunities that come across our radar to help you save a little bit more money. Today, we feature the Dexcom G6 Subscription program.
The Dexcom G6 launched in Canada in September 2019, providing a new option for people living with diabetes to monitor glucose readings and their reaction to them. Now, there is a G6 Subscription program available allowing users to sign up for a year and save money along the way – essentially getting all G6 transmitters for free! Here, we’ll go over how the G6 Subscription program works and how you can access it.
Disclaimer: Please check out CIM’s Partners Page to learn more about the companies we work with. It’s important for CIM to recognize and to disclose that our writing may be biased based on the fact that the Dexcom provides sponsorship and support to CIM. We work hard to get information into the hands of the diabetes community whenever we feel it may help people live life without limits.
As a bit of a primer for those who are new to Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM), here are the basics on the Dexcom G6:
- The Dexcom G6 is a Continuous Glucose Monitoring system or CGM
- Dexcom’s CGM technology, eliminates the need for people living with diabetes to prick their fingers to view their blood glucose (BG) readings
- The Dexcom G6 allows glucose readings to be seen in real-time
- The Dexcom G6 allows people living with diabetes to be alerted at levels they choose before their glucose goes too high or too low – day and night.
- The Dexcom G6 uses a small, wearable sensor which takes glucose readings regularly throughout the day, providing not only the readings themselves but also insight into the direction and rate of change of the user’s glucose levels.
If you’d like to read more about the Dexcom G6 CGM System, check out our blog about it here! https://www.connectedinmotion.ca/blog/dexcom-g6-canada/
When it comes down to diabetes tech, the discussion often turns to cost and value. Over the course of a year, the Dexcom G6 System without the G6 Subscription program costs $4,744. This covers the cost of a years’ worth of transmitters and sensors. An optional Receiver is also available for $499 if you don’t want to use your compatible phone or pump as a display device. The table below breaks down the pricing:
| Description | List Price | # Required / Year | Total Price |
| CGM Transmitters, Dexcom G6 | $289.00 | 4 | $1,156.00 |
| CGM Sensor 3-pack, Dexcom G6 | $299.00 | 12 | $3,588.00 |
| Total | $4,744.00 |
With the G6 Subscription program, shipments are sent automatically which makes placing orders even easier as users don’t have to worry about remembering to reorder supplies. Signing up for a year of G6 Subscription, you receive four shipments throughout the year, with enough transmitters and sensors for 3 months in each. No need to place the orders yourself. This certainly takes away the panic of realizing you need to change your sensor in an hour, and you don’t have any sensors left in the house!
The G6 Subscription program also helps you save money. Upon signing up for the program, you will be charged $299 once a month for 12 months. This works out to be $3,588 for the year, which means you save $1,156 compared to the regular price of a year’s worth of Dexcom G6 supplies. The pricing and delivery schedule for the G6 Subscription program are broken down in the table below:
| Month 1 | $299.00 | 1 Transmitter, 3 Packs of Sensors |
| Month 2 | $299.00 | |
| Month 3 | $299.00 | 1 Transmitter, 3 Packs of 3 Sensors (Shipped ~80 Days After Start Date) |
| Month 4 | $299.00 | |
| Month 5 | $299.00 | |
| Month 6 | $299.00 | 1 Transmitter, 3 Packs of 3 Sensors (Shipped ~170 Days After Start Date) |
| Month 7 | $299.00 | |
| Month 8 | $299.00 | |
| Month 9 | $299.00 | 1 Transmitter, 3 Packs of 3 Sensors (Shipped ~260 Days After Start Date) |
| Month 10 | $299.00 | |
| Month 11 | $299.00 | |
| Month 12 | $299.00 | |
| Total | $3,588.00 |
Want to learn more? Head over to the Dexcom Store online for more information or to sign up for G6 Subscription. It’s worth noting that if you’ve never tried the G6 or Dexcom products before, Dexcom recommends taking advantage of their Starter Kit before signing on for a full year of subscription. The Starter Kit costs $299 and contains a transmitter and 3 sensors, enough for you to try the system for one month. If you decide you like the product and service, you can order two more boxes of sensors for $299 each, and then sign up for subscription once you need to order your next transmitter.
Need help advocating for insurance coverage for your Dexcom CGM supplies? Take a look at our blog on insurance coverage for CGM for more advice!
Check out our experiences on Instagram!
Connected in Motion’s Executive Director, Jen, and Slipstream Director, Heather, switched from the G5 to the G6 sensor in late August. You can check out their experiences first-hand in our Instagram Story Dexcom Highlight.
