Title: Preventing Diabetes in Medicare Act of 2017
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Preventing Diabetes in Medicare Act of 2017
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare coverage for medical nutrition therapy services to beneficiaries with pre-diabetes or risk factors for developing type-2 diabetes.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1299 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Diabetes in Medicare Act 
of 2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, there are 86,000,000 adults with pre-diabetes in 
        the United States. The Centers estimates that 51 percent of 
        adults who are 65 years of age or older have pre-diabetes. More 
        than 90 percent of adults with pre-diabetes are unaware they 
        have it.
            (2) For a significant number of people with pre-diabetes, 
        early intervention can reverse elevated blood glucose levels to 
        normal range and prevent diabetes and its complications 
        completely or can significantly delay its onset. According to 
        the Institute for Alternative Futures, if 50 percent of adults 
        with pre-diabetes were able to successfully make lifestyle 
        changes proven to prevent or delay diabetes, then by 2025 
        approximately 4,700,000 new cases of diabetes could be 
        prevented at a cost savings of $300 billion.
            (3) Nearly 1-in-5 hospitalizations in 2008 were related to 
        diabetes according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and 
        Quality.
            (4) Preventing diabetes and its complications can save 
        money and lives. The average annual cost to treat someone with 
        diabetes is $13,741, compared to $3,495 for someone who does 
        not have diabetes. One out of every three Medicare dollars is 
        spent on diabetes.
            (5) Diabetes is unique because its complications and their 
        associated health care costs are often preventable with 
        currently available medical treatment and lifestyle changes.
            (6) In 2002, the Diabetes Prevention Program study 
        conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that 
        participants (all of whom were at increased risk of developing 
        type 2 diabetes) who made lifestyle changes reduced their risk 
        of developing type 2 diabetes by 58 percent and that 
        participants who are 60 years of age or older reduced their 
        risk of developing diabetes by 71 percent.
            (7) The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has 
        demonstrated that $2,500,000,000 in hospitalization costs 
        related to the treatment of diabetes or complications resulting 
        from diabetes could be saved by providing seniors with 
        appropriate primary care to prevent the onset of diabetes.
            (8) The Medicare program currently provides coverage for 
        screening and identifying beneficiaries with pre-diabetes but 
        does not provide adequate services to such beneficiaries to 
        help them prevent or delay the onset of diabetes.

SEC. 3. MEDICARE COVERAGE OF MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY SERVICES FOR 
              PEOPLE WITH PRE-DIABETES AND RISK FACTORS FOR DEVELOPING 
              TYPE 2 DIABETES.

    (a) In General.--Section 1861 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395x) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (s)(2)(V), by striking ``a beneficiary 
        with diabetes or a renal disease'' and inserting ``an 
        individual with diabetes, pre-diabetes (as defined in 
        subsection (yy)(4)), or a renal disease, or an individual at 
        risk for diabetes (as defined in subsection (yy)(2)),'' in the 
        matter preceding clause (i); and
            (2) in subsection (yy)--
                    (A) in the heading, by adding ``; Pre-Diabetes'' at 
                the end; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
    ``(4) The term `pre-diabetes' means a condition of impaired fasting 
glucose or impaired glucose tolerance identified by a blood glucose 
level that is higher than normal, but not so high as to indicate actual 
diabetes.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply with respect to services furnished on or after January 1, 2019.
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