In Submission to White House Budget Office, the ADA Lays out Policy Vision for a More Equitable Future for Our Community
The American Diabetes Association® last week submitted comments to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in response to a Request for Information (RFI) on the Methods and Leading Practices for Advancing Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through Government. The submission lays out the ADA’s vision for a safe and healthy future for all Americans–including the 122 million living with diabetes and prediabetes.
“The burden of these rising diabetes rates falls disproportionately on low-income communities, historically underserved Americans, and people of color. Diabetes prevalence today among minority groups is nearly twice as high as it is for white Americans. Much of this is because the social, economic, and environmental factors that put people at a higher risk for developing diabetes are especially pervasive in America’s communities of color…These trends are so prevalent that in the U.S. today, it is impossible to disentangle diabetes from larger systemic questions around health equity; we cannot have a holistic conversation about the causes and effects of one without discussing the other,” the ADA statement reads.
To help ensure that all Americans living with diabetes, irrespective of who they are, where they are from, or what they look like, have the resources they need to stay safe and healthy, the ADA wrote in support of a range of proposals aimed at making quality care accessible and affordable to all. They include:
- Lowering the cost of prescription drugs and devices, including through rebate reform and building a more competitive biosimilars market;
- Remedying harmful health insurance coverage practices that raise the cost of and limit access to care;
- Expanding Medicare and Medicaid coverage and access for drugs, devices, and preventive care such as interventions to avoid unnecessary diabetes-related amputations;
- Making hospital and provider care more affordable and price-transparent;
- Increasing diversity in clinical trials; and
- Addressing food insecurity and impediments to nutritious foods, as well as limitations on safe places for underserved Americans to be physically active.
“While no silver bullet can reverse the grim effects of hundreds of years of racial injustice, structural inequality, and systemic barriers to health care, there is much we can do to ensure that nobody is forced to go without the resources they need to live a healthy life. It is our hope that, in addition to considering the policy recommendations enclosed in this response, OMB and the Biden administration more broadly will partner with and keep the diabetes community top of mind as we work to build a more equitable future for all.”
Read the full statement here.
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About the American Diabetes Association
Every day more than 4,000 people are newly diagnosed with diabetes in America. More than 122 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes and are striving to manage their lives while living with the disease. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization fighting to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic and help people living with diabetes thrive. For 80 years the ADA has been driving discovery and research to treat, manage and prevent diabetes, while working relentlessly for a cure. We help people with diabetes thrive by fighting for their rights and developing programs, advocacy and education designed to improve their quality of life. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will make us Connected for Life. To learn more or to get involved, visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn).
