[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 188 (Tuesday, November 14, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        DIABETES AWARENESS MONTH

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                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 14, 2023

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, each November, Americans commemorate 
Diabetes Awareness Month. This distinction comes after hundreds of 
medical advancements, thousands of tears, and millions of lives lost. 
Diabetes spares no one in its mission to disrupt lives. It feeds off 
our children as Type 1 diabetes and preys on adults and seniors as Type 
2 diabetes, leaving one in ten Americans to contend with this 
condition.
  Black Americans are 60 percent more likely to suffer this illness and 
its devastating complications, including heart, kidney, liver, eye, and 
neurological diseases. Healthcare accessibility, genetics, and food 
insecurity are strong determinants of health outcomes, and diabetes is 
no different. A community unable to access healthy food or preventative 
health care is severely disadvantaged.
  All Americans with diabetes know the financial strain this disease 
brings. One dollar out of every $4 in US healthcare costs goes towards 
diabetes care, leaving the average American with diabetes incurring 
$12,022 in annual medical expenditures. Thankfully, Congressional 
Democrats recognize this crisis and passed the Inflation Reduction Act 
last year. The IRA took unprecedented steps to lower prescription drug 
costs and capped insulin prices at $35 for seniors on Medicare. Now, 
millions of Americans can rest easy knowing they have reliable access 
to their lifesaving medication.
  We all live within one degree of separation from this illness. My 
grandmother had it, a member of my staff has it, and this year 38,000 
Missourians will receive a diabetes diagnosis. While Diabetes Awareness 
Month educates millions across the globe, we must take further action 
and cure this disease. I'm proud of the work President Biden and House 
Democrats continue taking to bring this reality closer.

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