Medicare diabetes prevention pilot project shows success

Sen. Chuck Grassley is an original co-sponsor of the bipartisan Medicare Diabetes Prevention Act of 2015, which would help make sure Medicare addresses diabetes prevention rather than simply manage the disease.  The bill includes authorizing expanded enrollment in preventive programs such as those run by the Young Men’s Christian Associations of the United States of America, known as the YMCA, and other organizations as part of the National Diabetes Prevention Program.  Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced successful results in an initial program to enroll Medicare beneficiaries in a diabetes prevention program run by the YMCA.   Grassley made the following comment:

“If someone is at high risk for diabetes, it makes sense to try to help that person prevent developing diabetes.   Diabetes is a serious disease with serious complications, including premature death.  Preventing it is important to a person’s health and quality of life.   It’s also important to controlling Medicare costs.   The announcement confirms that the YMCA Diabetes Prevention Pilot program is working.  Our legislation would expand the program beyond the pilot to the Medicare population at large.  The pilot was common sense, and now we have documentation that it’s working.   It’s time to expand beyond a pilot.  Our legislation would do that.   Congress should pass it, and I look forward to continuing to work with HHS on diabetes prevention in the meantime.”