New Medicare Proposal is Aimed at Reducing Diabetes

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New plans were revealed on expanding Medicare to cover programs to prevent diabetes recently. Aimed at preventing diabetes among the millions at high risk for the disease, the new plans would pay for certain “lifestyle change programs.”

There are more than 50 million Latinos currently living in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 2050, one in three people living in the United States will be of Latino origin. Diabetes is an urgent health concern for the Latino community. The rates of diabetes among Latinos are almost double those of whites.

The programs that would be paid for by Medicare would feature trained counselors “coaching” participants on healthier eating habits and increasing physical activity as ways to prevent Type 2 diabetes. These types of programs have proved to be effective in people with the “prediabetes” condition in which they have high-blood sugar levels higher than normal, but not high enough to be diabetic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 86 million adults are prediabetic. This condition increases risks for cardiovascular disease, strokes, and diabetes itself. All of these are serious health concerns for Latinos. The condition is treatable, but according to the CDC, only close to 10% of people are aware they have the condition. When left untreated, nearly 33% develop diabetes within five years.

The expansion of Medicare was made possible through provisions made by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

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