Ohio bill forces insurers to cover care of diabetes

By Beth Wilson

12:04 AM Saturday, May 15, 2010

The increasing prevalence of diabetes is threatening our community, and many of our friends, neighbors and loved ones do not have access to the tools they need to fight this disease. But the Ohio Senate and state Sen. Chris Widener can help address this crisis.

The Ohio Senate is now considering House Bill 81, known as the Diabetes Cost Reduction Act (DCRA), which is jointly sponsored by state Reps. Barbara Boyd (D-Cleveland) and Randy Gardner (R-Bowling Green).

House Bill 81 would ensure that diabetes treatment, equipment, supplies, nutrition therapy and self-management education are covered by state-regulated health insurance plans. After more than 15 years of fighting for this legislation, Ohio is now only one of four states that have not passed a DCRA law.

While we have failed to address this problem, the diabetes epidemic has continued to grow in our state. The Ohio Department of Health estimates 1 million Ohioans have diabetes, and diabetes is the fifth-leading cause of death in Ohio.

A Milken Institute report on chronic disease estimated that lost workdays and lower employee productivity related to diabetes cost Ohio’s economy more than $6 billion in 2007.

As area executive director of the American Diabetes Association’s Southwest Ohio region, I’ve seen first-hand the effects this disease can have on families and employers. More than 8 percent of Clark County residents suffer from diabetes, which is higher than the state average. From 2004-2006, an average of 78 Clark County residents died each year from diabetes.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Research has consistently shown that tight blood-sugar control drastically reduces the incidence of severe, costly diabetes-related complications.

It’s imperative that patients suffering from diabetes have the education, medication and supplies they need to control their blood sugar. Yet, none of these are required coverage by Ohio’s state-regulated health insurance plans.

For those plans that do offer coverage, it can be minimal and fragmented. A plan may only cover one blood glucose test strip per day, when patients are advised to check their blood sugar several times a day. The strips each can cost a dollar or more, and patients are often forced to get by without them and deal with the consequences.

Others have turned to a black market for test strips on Internet sites, as the Dayton Daily News reported in their March 7 story, “Costly glucose test strips a money pit for diabetics.”

Some argue that this bill will burden businesses. But in fact, available data show that will actually benefit business owners as diabetes-related amputations and hospital stays are reduced, resulting in less worker absenteeism and greater productivity.

Opponents of the bill have never provided data from the 46 other states with this law indicating that premiums or costs have gone up.

Diabetes requires self-care like no other chronic illness. People with diabetes must monitor their blood sugar to prevent costly and dangerous complications. But these patients need access to the equipment, supplies, nutrition therapy, and self-management education necessary to manage this disease.

I encourage Sen. Chris Widener and the rest of the Ohio Senate to support House Bill 81. It is time to proactively address one of the greatest health issues our families and our region faces.

Together, we can help make our workplaces, communities and schools as productive as they can be.

Beth Wilson is the area executive director of the American Diabetes Association for southwestern Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.

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