Bill Clinton: “today, Senator Collins and I will be introducing the Diabetes Treatment and Prevention Act, legislation to help our…”

“today, Senator Collins and I will be introducing the Diabetes Treatment and Prevention Act, legislation to help our Federal, State and local governments address the growing epidemic of diabetes across our Nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, the number of Americans with diagnosed diabetes has doubled over the past 15 years. Over 20 million Americans are currently living with this disease, but 6 million of them have not yet been diagnosed. Another 54 million are classified as ``pre-diabetic,'' with a high risk of developing this condition. Diabetes accounts for over $92 billion in direct medical costs every year, and these numbers are only likely to increase. Last year, the New York Times published an insightful series on diabetes that highlighted the obstacles faced by health care providers and institutions seeking to prevent complications from diabetes. The system will pay tens of thousands of dollars for amputations, but not a low-cost visit to the podiatrist that could have saved the foot. Hospitals struggle to provide preventive treatment and rehabilitation in the Byzantine system of reimbursements. The incentives inside our health care system are backwards, and the payment system is upside- down: too often paying for costly and debilitating treatment but not for low-cost prevention. We know what works.…”