With Cases Of Diabetes Up 35 Percent Since 1999 In Upstate NY, Schumer Reveals Millions Of High Risk Patients Still Not Being Screened
With Cases Of Diabetes Up 35 Percent Since 1999 In Upstate NY, Schumer Reveals Millions Of High Risk Patients Still Not Being Screened
With the diabetes epidemic spreading across upstate New York, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today revealed major shortcomings in federal health programs on catching and treating diabetes early on are contributing to a staggering rise in diabetes cases in New York and across the country. Schumer also today released a new report showing that cases of adult and juvenile diabetes are up more than 35 percent in upstate New York since 1999, with the number of kids suffering from Type 2 diabetes, which is often preceded by obesity, skyrocketing. Schumer today called for an investigation on how misguided policies are costing dollars and lives and detailed how the federal government has not done nearly enough to combat the illness despite this startling rise. Health economists estimate implementing an aggressive diabetes program could save $30 billion in health care costs over the next ten years.
"Hundreds of thousands of New York children are at risk of developing diabetes, yet we're spending more on costly end-of-life care than we are on helping prevent our kids from falling victim to this life-altering disease," Schumer said. "The increase of diabetes in New York is real and it is happening fast. We must step in now to develop prevention plans to stop this epidemic in its tracks."
Schumer today released a new report showing that the diabetes epidemic is on the rise across upstate New York. According to 2005 data from the New York State Department of Health, an estimated 473,495 upstate New York men, women, and children are currently battling the potentially debilitating disease. That number is up more than 35 percent from the 311,949 cases reported in 1999. Statewide, more than 1.2 million New Yorkers currently suffer from diabetes.
Among teenagers and adolescents specifically, the numbers are particularly staggering. An estimated one in six overweight New York children and teens are considered to have pre-diabetes, a condition that puts them at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Preliminary findings from an ongoing study by the Centers for Disease Control show that 18% of diabetes cases in juveniles are now Type 2, a stunning increase in a condition that was rarely found in children before. Studies show 15 percent of children in New York are overweight, and more than 680,000 children in New York are in danger of developing pre-diabetes symptoms. The rapid increase in Type 2 diabetes in children is considered to be a direct result of the obesity epidemic among children, and experts fear that many Type 2 diabetes cases in children go undiagnosed because symptoms develop slowly. This rapid increase in diabetes in children could present unforeseen health care costs to cover the long-term care of diabetes patients: in the past, the average age of diabetes diagnosis was 46.
Below is how the numbers break out across upstate New York:
Right now, an estimated 54,471 men, women, and children in the Capital Region suffer from diabetes, up 18,584 from 1999. Roughly 519 children in the region suffer from diabetes
Right now, an estimated 50,382 men, women, and children in Central New York suffer from diabetes, up 17,189 from 1999. Roughly 271 children in the region suffer from diabetes.
Right now, an estimated 75,149 men, women, and children in the Rochester - Finger Lakes Region suffer from diabetes, up 25,639 cases from 1999. Roughly 687 children in the region suffer from diabetes.
Right now, an estimated 134,203 men, women, and children in the Hudson Valley, up 45,787 cases from 1999. An estimated 1,170 children in the region suffer from diabetes.
Right now, an estimated 32,245 men, women and children in the North Country suffer from diabetes, up 11,001 from 1999. Roughly 311 children in the region suffer from diabetes.
Right now, an estimated 36,073 men women and children in the Southern Tier suffer from diabetes, up 12,307 1999. Row, roughly 362 children in the region suffer from diabetes.
Right now, an estimated 90,970 men women and children in Western New York suffer from diabetes, up 31,037 from 1999. Roughly 810 children in the region suffer from diabetes.
Schumer today said that the government has not done nearly enough to screen for and provide early treatment for diabetes. Millions of high-risk patients go untested, leaving them susceptible to diabetic complications if they remain undiagnosed. Experts estimate that only two in three people with diabetes have been diagnosed, leaving millions unaware of their condition. According to a recent study by Diabetes Care, of the estimated 35 million Medicare beneficiaries age 65 or older, 61 percent or 21 million people, have diabetes or pre-diabetes. Of the seven million Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes, between two and 3.5 million are undiagnosed. Virtually all of the 14 million Medicare beneficiaries with pre-diabetes are undiagnosed. According to the NYS Department of Health, an estimated 430,000 people in New York have undiagnosed diabetes.
The cost of treating diabetes continues to skyrocket as numbers of patients increase. In 2002, the American Diabetes Association estimated that national spending on diabetes care was $132 billion. A 2005 Centers for Disease Control study found that the average cost per year for treating a patient with diabetes was $13,243, compared with $2,560 for a person without diabetes, yet the federal government does not ensure that all its programs cover diabetes screenings and early intervention services.
Medicaid especially is frequently cited as a culprit because states are not required to cover many early intervention services such as nutrition education. Private insurance companies are also to blame: many insurers will often cover the more than $11,000 cost of a prosthetic after a diabetes-related leg amputation, but not cover preventive consultations with podiatrists that cost less than $100 and could save a patient's leg
Schumer cited a landmark National Institute of Health clinical trialthe Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)that showed modest changes in diet and exercise can prevent diabetes in 58 percent of people at high-risk for the disease.
In response to this growing epidemic, Schumer today announced a three-point plan to counter the diabetes epidemic and shift the federal government's focus toward diabetes screening, early treatment, and prevention.
Target Early Screening and Prevention of Diabetes in Medicare patients: Schumer called on Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt to make diabetes screening and prevention for Medicare beneficiaries a top priority. Schumer asked the Secretary to include in his FY 2008 budget proposal an aggressive collaborative effort between the Centers for Disease Control, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and other key agencies to find and screen the 40 percent of Medicare beneficiaries with pre-diabetes.
Investigation into Diabetes Service Coverage in the Medicaid program: Schumer today also called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to initiate an immediate investigation and analysis of diabetes and pre-diabetes services currently covered by state Medicaid programs. Schumer also asked the GAO to examine diabetes prevalence, per-patient spending, and mortality rates in each state's Medicaid program. Health economists have previously forecast that preventive measures introduced on a wide scale could save as much as $30 billion over 10 years.
New Bi-Partisan Initiative: Schumer today also said he has consulted with colleagues across the aisle about ways Congress could work to increase access to diabetes screening and early interventions.
http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=267720&&year=2007&