Take Action Against Diabetes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) is recognizing National Diabetes Month in November.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 34 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 1 in 5 of them don’t know they have it.

Diabetes occurs because of the body’s inability to produce insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. If the body doesn’t make enough insulin, sugar can’t get into the cells and blood sugar levels can rise. High blood sugar can lead to health problems including heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and blindness.

CMS has added a new “Insulin Savings” filter on Medicare Plan Finder to display plans that will offer the capped out-of-pocket costs for insulin. Beneficiaries use the Medicare Plan Finder to view plan options and look for a participating plan in their area that covers their insulin at no more than a $35 monthly copay.

Diabetes is an important issue to CMS OMH because racial and ethnic minorities are at a higher risk of developing diabetes. Many who are diagnosed experience challenges managing their diabetes and are more likely to experience complications. Several factors including lack of access to health care, quality of care received, and socioeconomic status are all barriers to preventing diabetes and having effective diabetes management once diagnosed.

Below are several additional resources that can help health care professionals, patients, and their families manage diabetes:

Consumer Resources

Partner Resources

To learn more about CMS OMH and to download resources, please visit https://go.cms.gov/omh or contact us at OMH@cms.hhs.gov.