Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the release of a new report, Preventing and Treating Diabetes: Health Insurance Reform and Diabetes in America.

"Americans with diabetes are suffering in our current health care system," Sebelius said on the HHS Web site. "Health insurance reform will help ensure these Americans can get the prescription drugs and supplies they need and bring down premiums so all Americans can have high-quality, affordable health insurance."

HHS' concerns over chronic diseases such as diabetes include the problems with affordable treatment in conjunction with the rising costs of health care.

According to the report:

-- The prevalence of diabetes more than doubled over two decades from 1986 to 2006; diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in the nation and the rate is growing;

-- Families with a diabetes sufferer shoulder both an emotional burden of caring for the loved one and also the economic burden of the rising cost in treatment, including devastating out of pocket costs;

-- Americans diagnosed with diabetes face obstacles to timely and affordable treatment regardless of having insurance or not, including limitations of coverage. One study showed that 80 percent of people with diabetes went uninsured after having lost coverage due to job change or layoff, moving, divorce, graduation from college, or a change in income or health status;

-- One in six individuals with diabetes report avoiding or delaying needed medical care because of cost;

-- Preventative screenings, which can ensure diabetes is caught early, are not used often enough. In addition, less than half of adults over 40 receive all recommended yearly tests to adequately control the disease;

-- Fourteen percent of American Indians, 12 percent of African Americans, and 10 percent of Hispanics have type 2 diabetes, greater than the White population with a rate of only 7 percent.

The HHS says its report explains how health insurance reform will lower costs and improve access to quality health care for Americans with diabetes. Some conclusions are that health insurance reform will lower health care costs for those with diabetes by capping annual out-of-pocket expenses, eliminating discrimination for pre-existing conditions and health status, creating a health insurance exchange to comparison-shop for plans, provide coverage for preventive screenings, and reduce health disparities.

The report can be accessed at: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/diabetes/index.html

Link: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/11/20091111c.html

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