[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           SUPPORT H.R. 4264

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                           HON. EARL POMEROY

                            of north dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, September 28, 1996

  Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in strong support of H.R. 
4264, a bill which marks an important step forward in our national 
effort to combat diabetes. The provisions of H.R. 4264 are identical to 
the provisions of two separate diabetes bills I have cosponsored this 
session, H.R. 1073 and H.R. 1074. These bills will for the first time 
provide Medicare reimbursement for outpatient self-management training 
for individuals with diabetes. They will also for the first time 
provide Medicare coverage for the blood-testing strips that diabetics 
use to monitor their blood sugar levels. The Congressional Caucus on 
Diabetes--of which I am a member, led by Representative Elizabeth Furse 
(D-OR), has worked hard throughout this session to get these bills 
passed, and I am glad that H.R. 4264 provides us with the vehicle to 
achieve this goal.
  Diabetes is a particular problem for older Americans. Over 16 percent 
of Americans over the age of 65 have the disease, and over one quarter 
of the entire Medicare budget is spent caring for diabetic seniors. 
With coverage of self-management training and blood-testing strips 
under Medicare, Congress has recognized that efforts to combat diabetes 
must not focus solely on treatment of serious illness but also on 
education and self-management which can prevent serious illness. This 
preventive emphasis is not only cost-effective, but will result in 
greatly reduced human suffering.
  Medical research has shown us that many of the most serious 
complications stemming from diabetes can be controlled through proper 
management by those who have the condition. According to Practical 
Diabetology, 90 percent of diabetes-related blindness is preventable, 
and 50 percent of diabetes-related amputations and hospitalizations are 
preventable. With coverage of self-management training and blood-
testing strips, many more diabetic seniors will be able to head off 
these serious, and sometimes life-threatening, complications which can 
result from unbalanced blood sugar levels.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope consideration and passage of H.R. 4264 indicates 
a renewed sense of urgency in Congress about combating diabetes. An 
area to which we must direct this sense of urgency in the coming months 
is the epidemic of diabetes among native Americans. Whether by granting 
the Indian Health Service [IHS] third-party reimbursement authority or 
by preserving IHS diabetes-control efforts as the agency downsizes and 
restructures, we must elevate our commitment to reducing the tragic 
incidence of diabetes among our native American population. Mr. 
Speaker, I urge by colleagues to support H.R. 4264 as the first 
important step in a renewed national effort to combat diabetes.

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