With bi-partisan support, there are currently two bills making their way through the US House and Senate seeking to expand access to diabetes education for Medicare patients. House Bill 1840 and Senate Bill S814 would:
- Eliminate patient co-pays and deductibles.
- Cover and additional six hours of care each year.
- Allow patients an unlimited amount of time to use their initial 10 hours of education.
- Allow hospital outpatient programs to offer education in community settings
- Establish a two year demonstration program for coverage of a virtual education program.
The bill is seeing wide-spread support from endocrinologists, patient groups, and the American Diabetes Association Please ask you legislator to co-sponsor this bill!
Please consider taking one, or all, of the following steps:
- Go to the action center on the AADE web site: http://advocate.diabeteseducator.org/site/PageServer?pagename=action_center to identify your legislators.
- Consider meeting with your legislator, or their staff members, or sending a letter of support.
- Invite legislators to your diabetes program or event
- Follow up any action with a phone call.
For more information, or to learn about Virginia Diabetes Council advocacy efforts, please contact Advocacy Committee Chair, Becky Bowers-Lanier becky@virginiadiabetes.org.