I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2741 

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 1, 2011 

Ms. DEGETTE (for herself and Mr. WHITFIELD) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 

addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

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 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) According to the Centers for Disease Con4 trol and Prevention (CDC), there are 79,000,000 

5 adults with pre-diabetes in America. The CDC esti6 mates that 50 percent of adults ages 65 and older 

7 have pre-diabetes. More than 90 percent of adults 

8 with pre-diabetes are unaware they have it. 

9 (2) For a significant number of people with 

10 pre-diabetes, early intervention can reverse elevated 

11 blood glucose levels to normal range and prevent di12 abetes and its complications completely or can sig13 nificantly delay its onset. According to the Institute 

14 for Alternative Futures (IAF), if 50 percent of 

15 adults with pre-diabetes were able to successfully 

16 make lifestyle changes proven to prevent or delay di17 abetes, then by 2025 approximately 4,700,000 new 

18 cases of diabetes could be prevented at a cost sav19 ings of $300 billion. 

20 (3) Diabetes-related hospitalizations totaled 

21 24.3 million days in 2007, an increase of 7.4 million 

22 days from the 16.9 million days in 2002. 

23 (4) Preventing diabetes and its complications 

24 can save money and lives. The average annual cost 

25 to treat someone with diabetes is $11,744, compared 

26 to $2,935 for someone who does not have diabetes. 


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1 (5) Diabetes is unique because its complications 

2 and their associated health care costs are often pre3 ventable with currently available medical treatment 

4 and lifestyle changes. 

5 (6) In 2002, the Diabetes Prevention Program 

6 study conducted by the National Institutes of Health 

7 found that participants (all of whom were at in8 creased risk of developing type 2 diabetes) who made 

9 lifestyle changes reduced their risk of developing 

10 type 2 diabetes by 58 percent and that participants 

11 aged 60 and older reduced their risk of developing 

12 diabetes by 71 percent. 

13 (7) The Agency for Healthcare Research and 

14 Quality (AHRQ) has demonstrated that 

15 $2,500,000,000 in hospitalization costs related to 

16 the treatment of diabetes or complications resulting 

17 from diabetes could be saved by providing seniors 

18 with appropriate primary care to prevent the onset 

19 of diabetes. 

20 (8) The Medicare program currently provides 

21 coverage for screening and identifying beneficiaries 

22 with pre-diabetes but does not provide adequate 

23 services to such beneficiaries to help them prevent or 

24 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 ‘‘with 

8 diabetes or a renal disease’’ and inserting ‘‘with dia9 betes, pre-diabetes (as defined in subsection (yy)(4)), 

10 or a renal disease, or an individual at risk for diabe11 tes (as defined in subsection (yy)(2)),’’; and 

12 (2) in subsection (yy)— 

13 (A) in the heading, by adding ‘‘; Pre-Dia14 betes’’ at the end; and 

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

16 paragraph: 

17 ‘‘(4) The term ‘pre-diabetes’ means a condition of im18 paired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance identi19 fied by a blood glucose level that is higher than normal, 

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

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

22 this section shall apply with respect to services furnished 

23 on or after January 1, 2012. 

Æ 


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