Is it legal to purchase "overstock" test strips?

livingla · 02-10-2010, 02:26

In a local newspaper (Southern California) I saw a classified ad that reads:

WANTED DIABETES TEST STRIPS
Any Kind/Any Brand.
Unexpired. Pay up to $18.00 Per Box.
Call 1-800-xxx-xxx or [website]

Certainly this encourages insurance fraud where a diabetes patient obtains strips for free from (or subsidized through) their insurance or benefits and then instead of using those strips turns around and resells them to this online outfit.

I know insurance fraud is illegal, but this outfit probably gets by doing this as they wouldn't know how the seller came into acquiring the strips. But just like a pawn shop isn't free to fence stolen goods, shouldn't this outfit have similar restrictions? Their website shows references that include numerous resellers from California.

Any fraud such as this increases my medical insurance rates so I am curious if the industry has addressed this issue at all.

breezeonby · 02-10-2010, 04:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by livingla

In a local newspaper (Southern California) I saw a classified ad that reads:

WANTED DIABETES TEST STRIPS
Any Kind/Any Brand.
Unexpired. Pay up to $18.00 Per Box.
Call 1-800-xxx-xxx or [website]

Certainly this encourages insurance fraud where a diabetes patient obtains strips for free from (or subsidized through) their insurance or benefits and then instead of using those strips turns around and resells them to this online outfit.

I know insurance fraud is illegal, but this outfit probably gets by doing this as they wouldn't know how the seller came into acquiring the strips. But just like a pawn shop isn't free to fence stolen goods, shouldn't this outfit have similar restrictions? Their website shows references that include numerous resellers from California.

Any fraud such as this increases my medical insurance rates so I am curious if the industry has addressed this issue at all.

Good point. I ran into a situation where I got my test strips from a mail order company. They sent me a free meter and their version of a premium test strip. I got a 3 month supply. I paid my portion in advance. It was the worst meter and test strip that I have used. The company would not trade the strips for a different brand. I ended up buying another test strip at retail price. I thought about selling the unwanted strips on ebay but I am not sure I want to go through the hassle.