Protecting Access to Diabetes Care
/Almost 1 in 10 Americans – men, women, and children of all ethnicities and income levels – has diabetes. One of the most common medical conditions in America, diabetes has become more widespread in recent years, increasing by more 1 million people between 2012 and 2015 alone.
Not surprisingly, diabetes is an expensive disease. In 2017 diabetes cost the United States $237 billion in direct medical costs and $90 billion in reduced productivity, accounting for about one in every four health care dollars spent. People with diabetes incurred an average per-patient cost of $16,750 a year.
Diabetes’ impact and prevalence demand policies that allow people to access appropriate medications and effective health care.