It's never too late to start fighting diabetes. That's the message from the Obama administration's proposal to have Medicare pay for seniors to access lifestyle programs aimed at helping them lose weight and prevent diabetes.
Medicare will cover programs in which counselors guide seniors towards exercise and healthier food choices. According to the Centers for Disease Control, those above 65 account for roughly a quarter of the 86 million Americans categorized as "prediabetic" because of high blood sugar levels.
The effort was borne out of a 2012 pilot involving the YMCA. The organization, funded by a $12 million federal grant, ran a 15 month program in eight states targeting seniors with prediabetes. The feds determined that Medicare saved an average of $2,650 per participant as a result of the improvement to their health.
Continue Reading for Free
Register and gain access to:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
