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Medicare Diabetic Shoes and those Expensive Insoles

After looking at your Medicare or HMO Explanation of Benefits, some of you have asked why the heat moldable diabetic insoles cost so much compared with the shoes. You tell us they don't seem like anything special. But they are and here are several important reasons for the cost:

One, they are made from medical grade materials and these materials protect your skin from shearing and callusing and allow you to wear orthotics when your skin might be too fragile otherwise.

Two, there are these assumptions:

• Your shoes are the right length and width,
• You follow foot hygiene protocol and
• You keep your blood sugar controlled

When you get diabetic shoes from those trained to know how to size and what shape shoe is best for your foot, you should be in the right length and width shoe. Your physician and diabetic educator will keep you on track with foot hygiene protocol and control of your blood sugar levels.

You will not get ulcers from inside your shoes if you wear the insoles and are following other medical protocols. Period. You are totally protected.

Three, you get 3 pairs of these insoles a year. They immediately mold to your feet but that also means they are soft enough to break down. The life of each pair of insoles is 4 months of daily wear. You just pop in the next pair every 4 months.