Can You Sell Test Strips From Insurance? What to Know

A lot of people wonder whether they can sell test strips from insurance (the ones their plan keeps sending faster than they use). The short answer is yes, with one important caveat: strips covered by a private insurance plan are legal to resell as long as the boxes are sealed, not expired, and in original retail packaging. Medicare and Medicaid are a different story. Here is the line that separates a box you can sell from one you cannot.

Private insurance and government insurance are not the same thing here

This is the split that matters most. If your strips came through a private insurance plan (employer plan, ACA marketplace plan, union plan, retiree coverage through a former employer), you own those boxes. The insurance company paid the pharmacy; the pharmacy sold you a product. You are allowed to resell products you own.

Medicare and Medicaid work differently. Strips covered by those programs come with conditions attached. The federal government subsidizes the cost, and reselling them for profit runs into federal fraud statutes. If your boxes have a pharmacy label over the brand name, or if the box says 'Do not resell' or 'Medicaid' anywhere on it, that is a hard stop. Selling those boxes puts you in legally murky territory regardless of the condition they're in.

For a deeper look at where the legal line sits, the full legality breakdown covers federal law, state law, and the Medicare/Medicaid distinction in plain language.

What actually makes an insurance-covered box sellable

Private insurance or not, buyers look at the box rather than your insurance card. The criteria are the same whether you paid out of pocket or your employer's plan picked up the tab:

• Factory seal intact. The box should look the same as the day it left the manufacturer. If the seal has been popped to check the count, it is already off the table.
• Six or more months to expiration. Boxes inside three months of expiration lose a lot of value. Check the side panel before texting anyone.
• Brand name visible on the packaging. The manufacturer name needs to be readable on the outside. A pharmacy label glued over it disqualifies the box regardless of what is underneath.
• Major brand. OneTouch, Accu-Chek, FreeStyle, Contour Next, Dexcom, Libre — these move in the secondary market. Generic store-brand strips like ReliOn or Walmart Equate rarely have buyers.

If you are not sure whether your specific boxes qualify, the fastest answer is to text a couple of photos. You will have a real number back within 30 minutes during business hours, and nothing has to move until you decide.

Why insurance keeps shipping more than most people go through

Auto-refill programs fill prescriptions on a calendar, not on a needs-based check. Whatever the prescription authorizes goes out every month. Six months in, a patient who tests carefully twice a day has a year's worth of strips that will expire before they're opened.

The American Diabetes Association notes that testing frequency varies widely by treatment plan, and auto-refill doesn't adjust for that. A patient who switched to a continuous glucose monitor six months ago may still be receiving monthly test strip shipments from a prescription nobody got around to canceling.

We have over a dozen regular clients right now who sell surplus strips two or three times a month. Their insurance covers a standard allotment; they use less. The cash goes toward groceries, phone bills, gas. Our repeat rate is roughly 95 percent: once someone sells to us once, almost everyone comes back at least one more time within the year. Once people realize the process takes about five minutes and pays cash on the spot, the monthly surplus stops feeling like clutter.

If you recently switched from finger-sticks to a CGM and have a one-time stockpile of leftover strips, the guide on what to do with extra test strips walks through every option, including when selling makes more sense than donating.

What you can expect to get paid

The going rate depends on the brand, the expiration date, and how many boxes you have. Here is the honest range for sealed 100-count boxes with 12 or more months to expiration:

• Accu-Chek Aviva Plus 100ct — up to $40 per box
• FreeStyle Lite 100ct — up to $25 per box
• Contour Next 100ct — up to $20 per box
• OneTouch Verio 100ct — up to $10 per box
• Accu-Chek Guide 100ct — up to $7 per box

CGM sensors pay more. A Dexcom G6 3-pack in original packaging pays up to $150. Libre 3 sensors go up to $30 each. See the full price guide for a complete brand-by-brand list.

Every buyback site in this market seems to claim it pays the highest prices in Utah. That line is worth almost nothing on its own. What actually matters is whether the price you are quoted matches the price you are paid. With a local in-person buyer, you agree on the number before the boxes change hands — inspection happens before cash moves, not after the fact. There is no re-grading after they receive your shipment because there is no shipment. The number we text you is what we hand you in cash. How to tell if a buyer is legit covers what else to look for when you are evaluating someone.

What to do if your strips came through Medicare or Medicaid

You cannot sell these for profit, but you also do not have to throw them away. A few options worth knowing:

• Donate locally. Some Utah nonprofits accept government-program supplies for redistribution to uninsured patients. Ask us and we will point you in the right direction.
• Check with your pharmacy. Some chains have take-back or donation programs and can route you to the right place in your area.
• Ask your doctor. They sometimes know of patient assistance programs that want sealed, in-date supplies.

For background on how Medicare coverage of test strips works, Medicare.gov's diabetes supplies page lays out the rules clearly. And for a broader look at when selling makes sense versus donating, the sell vs donate comparison covers the tradeoffs without the runaround.

How to turn your surplus into cash this week

If your boxes are from a private insurance plan, sealed, not expired, and from a major brand, the process is short. Text a couple of photos of the box front and the expiration date to our number. We send back a real number within 30 minutes during business hours — not a 'we'll let you know when we see them' response. If the offer works, we pick a public spot near you and meet the same day or next. The whole meetup usually takes about five minutes.

We serve most of the Wasatch Front — Salt Lake City, West Valley, Sandy, Murray, Draper, Provo, Ogden, and surrounding areas. If you cannot drive, we can often come to you, especially for larger stockpiles. The largest single payout we have done was $2,700 from one stockpile at one meetup. Alright — if you've got sealed boxes and want to know what they're worth, that's where to start.