Good news is coming out of Michigan for people with Diabetes, who have to face so many medical costs every year just trying to keep up with their condition. As of January 10th, health insurance companies under the regulation of the Michigan Department of Insurance are going to have to start covering supplies needed for controlling Diabetes, such as insulin, within ninety days of that date.

It’s been a long time since there has been any kind of reform of health insurance in Michigan, longer than ten years, so many see this as a welcome expansion of the system. The types of supplies for patients with Diabetes that will be covered by the new requirement, will include such things as:

• insulin
• oral medications
• insulin pumps
• blood glucose testing supplies
• physician and diabetes educational opportunities
• anything else needed to manage the condition

The vice president of the American Diabetes Association states that in the past, many families who struggle with the problem of Diabetes have had to wait, have had their claims denied, have been forced to go without their medications and supplies for lack of money, and these are things that are necessary for them to continue living. Why, she wonders, do we save other lives that are more immediately in danger, while letting Diabetes patients slowly lose theirs? This new program will save thousands of lives across the state of Michigan.

Called the Diabetes Cost Reduction Act, similar things have gone into law across forty two other states in the country. In those other states, though, the covered products still come with required co pays, which may keep some patients from getting their necessary supplies. the DCRA is the first to not require this.

One of the things that brought this about was the huge increase in cases of Diabetes throughout the state of Michigan. Sixty seven percent more people have it now than did in 1997, says the Center for Disease Control. of the 660,000 Michigan residents that have Diabetes, one third of them are not aware of the fact. Considering the ramifications of not taking care of your self properly when you have Diabetes, raising awareness alone could save many lives.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.