[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 174 (Tuesday, December 10, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8604-S8605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 316--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF AMERICAN 
                             DIABETES MONTH

  Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself and Ms. Collins) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 316

       Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention (referred to in this preamble as the ``CDC''), 
     nearly 26,000,000 individuals in the United States have 
     diabetes and an estimated 79,000,000 individuals aged 20 
     years or older in the United States have prediabetes;
       Whereas diabetes is a serious chronic condition that 
     affects individuals of every age, race, ethnicity, and income 
     level;
       Whereas the CDC reports that Hispanic, African, Asian, and 
     Native Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes 
     and suffer from the disease at rates that are much higher 
     than the general population of the United States;
       Whereas according to the CDC, an individual aged 20 years 
     or older is diagnosed with diabetes every 17 seconds;
       Whereas approximately 5,205 individuals aged 20 years and 
     older in the United States are diagnosed with diabetes each 
     day;
       Whereas the CDC estimates that approximately 1,900,000 
     individuals in the United States aged 20 years and older were 
     newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2010;
       Whereas a joint National Institutes of Health and CDC study 
     found that each year between 2002 and 2005, approximately 
     15,600 youth were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and 
     approximately 3,600 youth were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 
     in the United States;
       Whereas according to the CDC, the prevalence of diabetes in 
     the United States increased by more than 300 percent between 
     1980 and 2010;
       Whereas the CDC reports that more than 27 percent of 
     individuals with diabetes in the United States have not been 
     diagnosed with the disease;
       Whereas more than 11 percent of adults and 26.9 percent of 
     individuals age 65 and older in the United States have 
     diabetes;
       Whereas as many as 1 in 3 adults in the United States will 
     have diabetes in 2050 if the present trend continues;
       Whereas after accounting for the difference of the average 
     age of each population, data surveying individuals age 20 
     years and older in the United States between 2007 and 2009 
     indicate that 7.1 percent of non-Hispanic whites, 12.6 
     percent of non-Hispanic blacks, 11.8 percent of Hispanics, 
     and 8.4 percent of Asian Americans suffered from diagnosed 
     diabetes;
       Whereas after accounting for the difference of the average 
     age of each population, data surveying Hispanic individuals 
     age 20 years and older in the United States between 2007 and 
     2009 indicate that 7.6 percent of individuals of Cuban, 
     Central American, and South American descent, 13.3 percent of 
     individuals of Mexican descent, and 13.8 percent of 
     individuals of Puerto Rican descent suffered from diagnosed 
     diabetes;
       Whereas according to the American Diabetes Association, the 
     United States spent an estimated $245,000,000,000 on cases of 
     diagnosed diabetes in 2012;
       Whereas the American Diabetes Association reports that 20 
     percent of the money that the United States spent on health 
     care in 2012 went towards caring for individuals with 
     diabetes;
       Whereas a Mathematica Policy Research study found that 
     total expenditures for individuals with diabetes receiving 
     benefits under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the 
     Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) in fiscal year 
     2005 comprised 32.7 percent of the budget for such program in 
     such fiscal year;
       Whereas according to the CDC, in 2007, diabetes was the 
     seventh leading cause of death in the United States, 
     contributing to the death of more than 230,000 individuals in 
     the United States that year;
       Whereas a cure for diabetes does not exist as of November 
     2013;
       Whereas there are successful means to reduce the incidence 
     of and delay the onset of type 2 diabetes;
       Whereas with proper management and treatment, individuals 
     with diabetes live healthy, productive lives; and

[[Page S8605]]

       Whereas individuals in the United States celebrate American 
     Diabetes Month in November: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of American Diabetes 
     Month, including--
       (A) encouraging individuals in the United States to fight 
     diabetes through public awareness of prevention and treatment 
     options; and
       (B) enhancing diabetes education;
       (2) recognizes the importance of early detection, awareness 
     of the symptoms, and understanding the risk factors of 
     diabetes, including--
       (A) being over the age of 45;
       (B) having a specific racial and ethnic background;
       (C) being overweight;
       (D) having a low level of physical activity;
       (E) having high blood pressure; and
       (F) having a family history of diabetes or a history of 
     diabetes during pregnancy; and
       (3) supports decreasing the prevalence of type 1, type 2, 
     and gestational diabetes in the United States through 
     increased research, treatment, and prevention.

                          ____________________