Collins, Shaheen Lead Bipartisan Group Pushing for Reauthorization of Special Diabetes Program
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), co-chairs of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, led a bipartisan letter to Senate leadership emphasizing the importance of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) that was signed by a total of 60 Senators. Without action in Congress this year, funding for the SDP is set to expire on September 30th.
“Approximately one in four health care dollars and one in three Medicare dollars are spent treating people with diabetes. Diabetes cost our nation $327 billion in 2017,” the Senators wrote. “Medical expenditures for individuals diagnosed with diabetes are roughly 2.3 times higher than expenditures for those without the disease. Overall, the economic costs of diabetes, adjusted for inflation, increased by 26 percent from 2012 to 2017, and these costs are expected to increase as the number of people with diabetes continues to grow.”
“The groundbreaking discoveries made possible by this program are improving the lives of the over 133 million Americans living with or at-risk of developing diabetes, while also greatly reducing the long-term health care expenditures related to its complications,” the Senators continued. “Further investment in this vital program is essential to continue large-scale trials, plan next steps for research programs, conduct outreach and education, and effectively allocate research resources – all of which play an important role in helping to better treat, prevent, and ultimately cure diabetes.”
The Special Diabetes Program consists of two components: the Special Statutory Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes Research which supports research to prevent, treat, and cure type 1 diabetes and its complications; and the Special Diabetes Program for Indians which supports diabetes treatment and prevention strategies for American Indian and Alaska Native populations who are disproportionately burdened with type 2 diabetes.
More than 37 million Americans live with diabetes, including an estimated one in every three seniors. The disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, claiming over 100,000 lives in 2021.
The letter was signed by the following Senators:
Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Barrasso (R-WY), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Boozman (R-AR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Shelley Capito (R-WV), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Cynthia M. Lummis (R-WY), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), James Risch (R-ID), Jacklyn Rosen (D-NV), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Tina Smith (D-MN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Jon Tester (D-MT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Raphael G. Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Todd Young (R-IN).
The full letter can be read HERE.
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