WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) reintroduced the Preventing Diabetes in Medicare Act to improve health outcomes for individuals at risk for diabetes and save long-term costs for Medicare. Under current law, Medicare will only cover medical nutrition therapy services for individuals already diagnosed with diabetes or renal disease. This bipartisan legislation would extend Medicare coverage for medical nutrition therapy services for Americans with pre-diabetes and risk factors for developing type-2 diabetes.
“With one of the highest rates of adult diabetes in the nation and a considerable pre-diabetes population, West Virginia is no stranger to the costs and challenges associated with this disease,” Senator Capito said. “The Preventing Diabetes in Medicare Act will help stem the growing rate of diabetes and reduce the one-in-three Medicare dollars being spent on it.”
“Investing in preventative care for diabetes will save taxpayer dollars by reducing Medicare costs and help at-risk individuals live longer and healthier lives,” said Senator Peters. “I am proud to reintroduce this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to expand medical nutrition therapy services and help prevent more seniors from developing this chronic and costly condition.”
Nearly one in every three Medicare dollars is spent on diabetes, a number that has increased considerably in recent years and will most likely continue to increase without action. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates approximately 30 million Americans or 9.3 percent of the population have diabetes and approximately 86 million American adults – about 30 percent of the population – have pre-diabetes.
There is significant evidence to suggest that medical nutrition therapy can prevent the onset of diabetes for at-risk individuals. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, $2.5 billion in hospitalization cost related to the treatment of diabetes or complications resulting from diabetes could be saved by providing seniors with appropriate preventive care. Medical nutrition therapy includes an initial nutrition and lifestyle assessment, review of eating habits, one-on-one nutritional counseling and follow-up visits to check on patients’ progress in managing their diet to prevent or manage their condition.
The Preventing Diabetes in Medicare Act has broad support from major health care groups, including Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Spectrum Health, Diabetes Advocacy Alliance, Food is Medicine Coalition, Healthcare Leadership Council, National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs and Michigan Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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