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A person who has been afflicted with a chronic disease has a disease that will not go away. These diseases, including cancer and heart disease, account for 70% of the deaths in the United States. Care for chronic disease is the most common and costly of all our health care expenses. This makes sense when you consider that around half of all Americans have a chronic condition. One of the most common and the most costly is diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease that affects the bodies ability to process sugar. There was a time when a diabetes diagnosis meant almost certain death. Through a combination of lifestyle changes and the right drugs, most diabetics can lead normal, mostly healthy lives. It will not, however, be cheap for those afflicted or for their insurance companies.
Out of every ten dollars spent on health care in our country, one of those dollars can be attributed to diabetes. An individual diabetic will spend thousands of dollar year on prescription drugs, medical equipment to monitor blood sugar, frequent doctors visits, and the inevitable long term medical problems that will result from the disease.
Insurance companies don't like covering diabetics. While paying the costs of insulin and the other supplies needed for maintenance of the disease will result in long term savings, most people will change jobs and insurance companies so the benefits will likely be reaped by a competitor. Insurance companies will do everything in their power to avoid paying for diabetes. Most individuals cannot afford to pay for their diabetic medical care on their own and many will be forced to seek out charity where available. Unfortunately, many other diabetics will simply go without treatment to avoid the costs. This will result in even greater long term heath costs.
We do not spend enough money teaching the proper lifestyle and nutritional choices that will help people avoid diabetes. We do not help enough diabetics get the proper care they need to control their disease. We spend far too much on the inevitable complications that arrive from untreated diabetes. Diabetic care is yet another area where our health care system is not adequate.
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