New Bill Would Add Telehealth to Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program
A bill filed this week would expand the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program to include telehealth services, thus improving access to care for millions of people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Source: ThinkStock
- A group of Senators has introduced a bill that would expand access to the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program through telehealth.
S 4709 was introduced this week by Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Mark Warner (D-VA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Tina Smith (D-MN). Titled the PREVENT Diabetes Act, it addresses a long-standing issue with a Medicare program designed to help members at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
"It’s no secret that diabetes is a disease that has disproportionately affected minority communities across the country,” Warner said in a press release. “To ensure that all individuals have the tools needed to combat this preventable disease, the Prevent Diabetes Act would help expand access to virtual classes under the existing Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program. This commonsense and cost-saving expansion will ensure that more Americans at-risk of developing diabetes who are living in either rural or medically underserved communities, can participate in this critical program that has been proven to delay the full onset of this preventable disease.”