Getting a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) depends on whether you have diabetes or simply want to track your blood sugar for general health. If you have diabetes and use insulin, your doctor can prescribe one and insurance will likely cover most of the cost. If you don’t use insulin, you can now buy a CGM over the counter or through a wellness subscription without a prescription at all.
The Prescription Route for People With Diabetes
For most people with diabetes, the standard path starts with your doctor. They’ll need to meet with you (in person or via telehealth) to evaluate your blood sugar management and determine that a CGM is appropriate. Medicare and most private insurers require four things: a diagnosis of diabetes, training on how to use the device, an FDA-cleared device used as intended, and evidence that the CGM will improve blood sugar control for someone who uses insulin or has a history of dangerous low blood sugar episodes.
Your doctor writes the prescription, and from there you have two options for filling it: a pharmacy or a durable medical equipment (DME) supplier. The difference matters more than you’d think. Going through a pharmacy is faster and often cheaper. You can typically pick up your sensors in one to two days, and the paperwork your doctor fills out is a single page. DME suppliers, by contrast, require a more extensive documentation process and can take significantly longer to deliver. Local DME providers often don’t keep sensors in stock, so same-day pickup isn’t realistic. If your insurance covers CGMs as a pharmacy benefit, that’s usually the smoother path.
What Medicare Covers
Medicare covers CGMs and their supplies if you have diabetes, take insulin or have a documented history of problematic low blood sugar, and your provider confirms you’ve been trained on the device. Your doctor must meet with you before writing the prescription to evaluate whether you qualify. Claims are coded differently depending on whether you use insulin or manage diabetes with oral medications alone, so make sure your provider documents your treatment accurately.
Private insurance plans vary, but most follow a similar logic: they want to see that you have diabetes, that a CGM is medically necessary for your situation, and that your doctor has prescribed it. Call your insurer before your appointment to ask whether CGMs fall under your pharmacy benefit or your DME benefit, since that affects both your copay and how quickly you’ll get the device.
Buying a CGM Over the Counter
In March 2024, the FDA cleared the first over-the-counter CGM: the Dexcom Stelo. It’s available without a prescription to anyone 18 and older who does not use insulin. That includes people managing type 2 diabetes with oral medications and people without diabetes who want to see how food and exercise affect their blood sugar.
Each Stelo sensor lasts up to 15 days and sends readings to a smartphone app every 15 minutes, showing both your current glucose level and the direction it’s trending. One important limitation: the Stelo is not designed for people with problematic low blood sugar, because it doesn’t include low-glucose alerts. If you rely on insulin or have hypoglycemia episodes, this isn’t the right device for you.
You can purchase the Stelo directly from Dexcom’s website or through retailers. No doctor visit, no insurance paperwork, no prior authorization.
Wellness Platforms and Subscriptions
Several companies bundle a CGM with an app, analytics, and sometimes dietitian support, targeting people who want metabolic health insights rather than diabetes management. Two of the most established are Nutrisense and Levels Health.
Nutrisense now uses over-the-counter Stelo sensors, so there’s no prescription step. After signing up, approval takes one to two days, and sensors ship within a couple of days after that. You get two sensors per month (each lasting up to 15 days), and you can apply them on your own schedule. Their app membership, which includes glucose analytics and optional dietitian access, costs $19.99 per month or $199 per year. The sensors themselves are a separate cost. Plans run in three, six, or twelve-month commitments, with the option to pause for set periods.
Levels Health takes a slightly different approach. An annual membership starts at $125, which gives you access to their app and data platform. CGM sensor kits are purchased separately, and you can choose single-month or recurring deliveries. Levels also offers optional metabolic lab testing for an additional fee. Both platforms are designed for people exploring how their body responds to food rather than managing a clinical condition.
Choosing Between Major CGM Devices
If you’re going the prescription route, the two dominant devices are the Dexcom G7 and the FreeStyle Libre 3. Both are factory-calibrated, meaning you don’t need to prick your finger to set them up. Fingerstick testing is only needed as a backup if readings seem off.
The Dexcom G7 sensor lasts 10 days and has one of the fastest warm-up times on the market, so you start getting data quickly after applying it. The FreeStyle Libre 3 sensor lasts 14 days, giving you a few extra days per sensor and slightly fewer sensor changes per month. Both stream continuous glucose data to a smartphone app, and both are compatible with insulin pump systems for people who use them.
For the over-the-counter path, the Dexcom Stelo is currently your only FDA-cleared option. Its 15-day wear time is the longest of the three, which makes sense for wellness users who don’t want to think about sensor swaps too often.
How to Speed Up the Process
If you need a prescription CGM, a few steps can shave days or weeks off your wait. First, ask your doctor’s office whether your insurer covers CGMs as a pharmacy benefit. If it does, your doctor fills out a short form and you pick up sensors at your local pharmacy, sometimes the same week. If it falls under DME coverage, expect a longer prior authorization process and mail delivery.
Bring your most recent lab results (especially your A1C) to your appointment, along with any blood sugar logs you’ve kept. The more documentation your doctor already has, the less back-and-forth with your insurer. If you use insulin, make sure that’s clearly noted in your medical record, since it’s the single most important factor for insurance approval.
If you don’t have diabetes and just want to try a CGM, the fastest option is buying a Stelo directly online or signing up through a wellness platform. You can have sensors in hand within a week without involving a doctor or insurer at all.