Richardson: Stop diabetes before it begins, with antiobesity meds

Bravo to Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., for leading the way to reduce obesity with this act (“Congress must pass Treat and Reduce Obesity Act”)! Instead of the government bragging about reducing the cost of diabetes medicine, how about preventing diabetes altogether by covering the cost of antiobesity medication?

Currently, care for people diagnosed with diabetes accounts for 1 in 4 health care dollars in the U.S., 61% of which are attributed to diabetes itself (source: diabetesjournals.org). Close to 30% of those with diabetes are 65 or older (source: cdc.gov/diabetes).

Considering this, doesn’t it make sense to start taking a preventive approach, by covering the medicine that will help reduce a major factor of diabetes?

Ellen Richardson

Dover

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