Is Selling Diabetic Test Strips Legal?

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects many people worldwide. According to U.S. Pharmacist, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that 14% of type 2 diabetics not using insulin purchase enough test strips to measure blood glucose two or more times a day. If a diabetic person purchases too many testing strips, they may wonder if they can sell them to others in need. Diabetics may use testing strips to test their insulin every day, but is selling diabetic test strips to others legal? Read on to find out more.

Medicare or Medicaid

Medicare or Medicaid may pay for diabetic items. If you paid for strips by Medicaid, you shouldn't be selling them to other people. Medicaid is a government program, so any items you get from them, such as diabetic test strips, are ineligible to be resold in any shape or form. You're not supposed to profit from any government assistance.

Stolen Items

Needless to say, stolen items are illegal. Diabetic test strips are no different. Therefore, if you steal these items from a friend, family member, or stranger who was diagnosed with diabetes, you have illegally acquired these items and cannot profit from them.

Damage and Expiration

Do you have diabetic test strips that have been opened already? That means they've been exposed and are no longer eligible for sale. After all, an open package could have been tampered with without someone else's knowledge. Have you checked the expiration date on a sealed package? Even if the package is sealed, if it's expired or damaged in any capacity, it's also not available for resale.

Personal Overstock

You may have a personal overstock of diabetic test strips for several reasons. If you switch doctors, they may switch the prescription, requiring you to use new diabetic test strips. Even someone who was once diagnosed with this chronic disease may no longer need to test themselves due to a lifestyle change like diet and exercise. You may be dealing with the estate of a deceased diabetic and wonder what to do with their leftover diabetic-related items. In all of these cases, selling the strips is legal.

In other words, diabetic test strips are legal to sell under certain restrictions. You can’t legally sell strips acquired by theft or that are damaged or expired. When you acquire them through Medicaid or any other government program, you can’t profit from them, regardless of how many you have left over. Otherwise, it's perfectly legal to sell sealed valid strips not acquired through a government program. To learn more about how to sell your surplus testing strips, contact Pay For Strips for more information. We cannot wait to assist you.