[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 191 (Thursday, December 13, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S15469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      BY Mr. BROWN (for himself and Mr. Cornyn):
  S. 2479. A bill to catalyze change in the care and treatment of 
diabetes in the United States; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, today, I am introducing, along with Senator 
Cornyn, an important bill--the Catalyst for Better Diabetes Care Act--
that will enhance and better coordinate our Nation's fight against 
diabetes.
  It is estimated that one out of every three Americans born after the 
year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime. This startling 
statistic should be reason enough for this body to act swiftly and 
decisively on this issue. We must increase our investment into this 
deadly and costly disease before the epidemic reaches overwhelming 
proportions. The Catalyst for Better Diabetes Care Act marks an 
important step in this effort by focusing the government's attention on 
specific areas in diabetes care that can and must be improved.
  First, we must ensure that all Americans are aware of the importance 
and availability of diabetes screening. Like any preventable and 
manageable disease, early diagnosis of diabetes is key. Yet millions of 
Americans--nearly a third of the 20-plus million Americans with 
diabetes--have diabetes but don't know it. Recognizing the enormity of 
this problem, many of us in Congress fought hard in recent years to 
include a diabetes screening benefit in Medicare, a program that 
already spends a third of its total budget on diabetes patients. Now 
the challenge is to ensure that Americans are fully utilizing this and 
other screening opportunities, which is exactly what this bill aims to 
do. By establishing a collaboration and outreach program within the 
Department of Health and Human Services, HHS, this act would help 
reduce the number of Americans with diabetes who remain undiagnosed.
  The private sector also has a role to play in this fight. Thankfully, 
many companies have already started investing in employee wellness 
programs that reward pro-active, preventative care. With chronic 
diseases like diabetes driving up health insurance costs for 
individuals and employers, it is critical that new, pre-emptive 
approaches to health care are encouraged. This bill would create an 
advisory group in HHS to determine which wellness programs work and 
which do not, information that will encourage employers to provide 
effective diabetes prevention programs.
  It is also critical to carefully monitor our effectiveness in 
combating diabetes and the impact of this disabling and deadly 
condition on our nation. With that information in hand, we will be far 
better equipped to determine the nature and scope of diabetes 
prevention and treatment strategies. The bill includes two key 
provisions to address this need. It would create a National Diabetes 
Report Card that provides crucial information on diabetes' impact on 
the nation. The report card would be published every 2 years. It would 
also take steps to ensure accurate data on diabetes morbidity and 
mortality. Diabetes is often not listed anywhere on death certificates 
as a cause of death. This bill would ensure the training of physicians 
on properly completing birth and death certificates and improving the 
collection of diabetes data.
  Finally, this act would commission an Institute of Medicine study on 
diabetes medical education to ensure that physician training--which 
currently requires less than four hours of diabetes education--is 
keeping pace with the growing threat diabetes poses to the public's 
health. The study would make a recommendation as to the appropriate 
level of diabetes medical education that should be required prior to 
licensure, board certification, and board recertification.
  Our country faces a tremendously challenging fight against diabetes, 
but it is one we can and will win. The Catalyst for Better Diabetes 
Care Act is a targeted and cost-effective bill that will push us toward 
victory. Let us act quickly and pass this bill.
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