[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2741 Introduced in House (IH)]

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.

    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 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention (CDC), there are 79,000,000 adults with pre-diabetes 
        in America. The CDC estimates that 50 percent of adults ages 65 
        and 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 (IAF), 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) Diabetes-related hospitalizations totaled 24.3 million 
        days in 2007, an increase of 7.4 million days from the 16.9 
        million days in 2002.
            (4) Preventing diabetes and its complications can save 
        money and lives. The average annual cost to treat someone with 
        diabetes is $11,744, compared to $2,935 for someone who does 
        not have 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 aged 60 and older reduced their risk of developing 
        diabetes by 71 percent.
            (7) The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) 
        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 ``with diabetes or 
        a renal disease'' and inserting ``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)),''; 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, 2012.
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