Why is it that so many places are giving away “free meters” for Diabetes Testing these days?
As you might well imagine, someone has to pay for all of those “free” blood glucose meters handed out in Doctor’s offices, through TV and radio ads and over the Internet. In almost all instances, it is the Diabetes patient or taxpayer who winds up picking up the tab. The reason that manufacturers of these devices can afford to give them away for free is actually quite simple. These devices are absolutely worthless without the appropriate brand of test strip to use them with. The manufacturer is willing to lose a small amount of money up-front when giving away the meters, knowing that they will make a huge profit selling their proprietary test strips. These strips retail for anywhere between $.50 and $1.50 for each use, and many Diabetics need to test their blood glucose levels 3 times a day. At that rate, the manufacturer makes enough in profits to pay for the meter many times over in the first few days or weeks after you have received it. There are currently no “generic” test strips on the market. Each company’s meter will only work with THEIR test strips, so they can charge anything they want for them. This is very similar to the marketing tactic used by a number of companies to sell inkjet printers. The printers themselves are often sold at or below cost. It is only after you find out that it costs $30 for a new cartridge after you run out of ink that you realize how they make their money.
Why Are There Suddenly So Many Ads on TV for Diabetes Products?
To put it simply, there is big, big money to be made in healthcare these days, especially here in the United States. American culture over the past two decades has emphasized a more convenient lifestyle. We have come to rely upon mircrowave food, instant breakfast, fast food delivery, games that are played while sitting in front of the TV and (ironically) drive-thru pharmacies. The population is becoming increasingly obese, getting less exercise and are eating foods that only help contribute to our poor health. These factors have caused the number of Diabetes sufferers to skyrocket in recent years, along with associated health problems like strokes, heart attacks and other circulatory problems. Since we live in a “supply and demand” economy, there is now plenty of demand for products to help treat our health problems. Most of these products and services are expensive. Very expensive. With that much money at stake, the healthcare industry is attracting plenty of attention from both investors and other companies that wish to expand into more profitable areas. Unfortunately, there is very little money to be made in “curing” any particular disease. The big money is in treatment, since treatment provides a long-term revenue stream for the companies selling treatments. As long as our population continues to get sicker and sicker, you will see increasing numbers of health-related advertising.
