CGM, insulin pump coverage at risk; patient says loss would be ‘devastating’
Venice Family Clinic said Tuesday that pending federal cuts to Medi-Cal threaten to revoke coverage for continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps, potentially pushing thousands of low-income diabetes patients back to manual injections and emergency risks.
The warning, issued ahead of National Diabetes Awareness Month, cited the case of 65-year-old patient Georgia Guzman, a personal trainer who received the devices through the clinic in July 2024 after losing private insurance when her husband died.
Guzman’s A1C had climbed to 8.6% despite diet, exercise and injections, triggering workplace seizures. The Dexcom CGM and Omnipod pump, linked in a closed-loop system, dropped her levels into safe range and eliminated the episodes, she said.
Medi-Cal began covering the technology for eligible adults in 2022, a change the clinic called transformative. Out-of-pocket costs for sensors and supplies can exceed $5,000 annually, clinic officials said.
“If I lost coverage, I truly don’t know what I would do,” Guzman said in a statement.
CEO Mitesh Popat said removing access would “undo years of progress” and raise risks of kidney failure, blindness and sudden death from low blood sugar.
The clinic, which serves 45,000 patients across the Westside, South Bay and Inglewood, urged federal officials to preserve the benefit. No specific cut timeline has been released.
