II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1299 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to reduce the occurrence 

of diabetes in Medicare beneficiaries by extending coverage under Medicare for medical nutrition therapy services to such beneficiaries with 

pre-diabetes or with risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 7, 2017 

Mr. PETERS (for himself and Mrs. CAPITO) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to reduce 

the occurrence of diabetes in Medicare beneficiaries by 

extending coverage under Medicare for medical nutrition 

therapy services to such beneficiaries with pre-diabetes 

or with risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Diabetes 

5 in Medicare Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) According to the Centers for Disease Con2 trol and Prevention, there are 86,000,000 adults 

3 with pre-diabetes in the United States. The Centers 

4 estimates that 51 percent of adults who are 65 years 

5 of age or older have pre-diabetes. More than 90 per6 cent of adults with pre-diabetes are unaware they 

7 have it. 

8 (2) For a significant number of people with 

9 pre-diabetes, early intervention can reverse elevated 

10 blood glucose levels to normal range and prevent di11 abetes and its complications completely or can sig12 nificantly delay its onset. According to the Institute 

13 for Alternative Futures, if 50 percent of adults with 

14 pre-diabetes were able to successfully make lifestyle 

15 changes proven to prevent or delay diabetes, then by 

16 2025 approximately 4,700,000 new cases of diabetes 

17 could be prevented at a cost savings of $300 billion. 

18 (3) Nearly 1-in-5 hospitalizations in 2008 were 

19 related to diabetes according to the Agency for 

20 Healthcare Research and Quality. 

21 (4) Preventing diabetes and its complications 

22 can save money and lives. The average annual cost 

23 to treat someone with diabetes is $13,741, compared 

24 to $3,495 for someone who does not have diabetes. 


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1 One out of every three Medicare dollars is spent on 

2 diabetes. 

3 (5) Diabetes is unique because its complications 

4 and their associated health care costs are often pre5 ventable with currently available medical treatment 

6 and lifestyle changes. 

7 (6) In 2002, the Diabetes Prevention Program 

8 study conducted by the National Institutes of Health 

9 found that participants (all of whom were at in10 creased risk of developing type 2 diabetes) who made 

11 lifestyle changes reduced their risk of developing 

12 type 2 diabetes by 58 percent and that participants 

13 who are 60 years of age or older reduced their risk 

14 of developing diabetes by 71 percent. 

15 (7) The Agency for Healthcare Research and 

16 Quality has demonstrated that $2,500,000,000 in 

17 hospitalization costs related to the treatment of dia18 betes or complications resulting from diabetes could 

19 be saved by providing seniors with appropriate pri20 mary care to prevent the onset of diabetes. 

21 (8) The Medicare program currently provides 

22 coverage for screening and identifying beneficiaries 

23 with pre-diabetes but does not provide adequate 

24 services to such beneficiaries to help them prevent or 

25 delay the onset of diabetes. 


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1 SEC. 3. MEDICARE COVERAGE OF MEDICAL NUTRITION 

2 THERAPY SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH PRE3 DIABETES AND RISK FACTORS FOR DEVEL4 OPING TYPE 2 DIABETES. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1861 of the Social Secu6 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (s)(2)(V), by striking ‘‘a bene8 ficiary with diabetes or a renal disease’’ and insert9 ing ‘‘an individual with diabetes, pre-diabetes (as de10 fined in subsection (yy)(4)), or a renal disease, or an 

11 individual at risk for diabetes (as defined in sub12 section (yy)(2)),’’ in the matter preceding clause (i); 

13 and 

14 (2) in subsection (yy)— 

15 (A) in the heading, by adding ‘‘; Pre-Dia16 betes’’ at the end; and 

17 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

18 paragraph: 

19 ‘‘(4) The term ‘pre-diabetes’ means a condition of im20 paired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance identi21 fied by a blood glucose level that is higher than normal, 

22 but not so high as to indicate actual diabetes.’’. 

23 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

24 this section shall apply with respect to services furnished 

25 on or after January 1, 2019. 

Æ 


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