- With expansion of Medicaid, some states are identifying more new diabetes cases, By Sabrina Tavernise, March 23, 2015, New York Times: “The number of new diabetes cases identified among poor Americans has surged in states that have embraced the Affordable Care Act, but not in those that have not, a new study has found, suggesting that the health care law may be helping thousands of people get earlier treatment for one of this country’s costliest medical conditions. One in 10 Americans have diabetes, and nearly a third of cases have not been diagnosed. The disease takes a toll if it is caught too late, eventually causing heart attacks, blindness, kidney failure and leg and foot amputations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the disease accounts for $176 billion in medical costs annually. The poor and minorities are disproportionately affected…”
- Diabetes study shows benefits of expanded Medicaid under Obamacare, By Noam N. Levey, March 23, 2015, Los Angeles Times: “Low-income patients with diabetes are getting better access to medical care in states that have expanded Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act, suggests a new study that provides one of the first indications of the sweeping law’s health effects. Residents of other states are at risk of being left behind. The number of Medicaid patients with newly identified diabetes surged 23% in states that expanded their programs, an option provided by the law, but there was virtually no increase in states that declined to expand coverage, researchers found…”
Tag: Disease
Food Insecurity and Diabetes Management
When doctors aren’t enough to help patients keep diabetes in check, By Karen Kaplan, December 29, 2014, Los Angeles Times: “Patients with diabetes need access to doctors and medicines to help them keep their disease under control. But they also need food in their pantries and enough money in their pockets to pay for necessities like rent and heat, a new study shows. Among a group of 411 patients being treated for Type 2 diabetes in the Boston area, those who suffered from food insecurity and those who tried to save money by skimping on their meds were only half as likely as their more financially secure counterparts to be managing their disease. This disparity turned up despite the fact that in Massachusetts, nearly everyone has medical insurance and prescription coverage thanks to the state’s universal healthcare law…”
Childhood Poverty and Health Outcomes
Improved parenting may fortify low-income kids against poverty effects, By Melissa Healy, August 1, 2014, Los Angeles Times: “For children growing up in poverty, the seeds of poor health in adulthood appear to be sown early. But a nurturing parent may be able to foster a child’s resilience to such conditions as allergies, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, says a new study. To gauge the lasting health effects of good parenting, the latest research returned to rural Georgia eight years after researchers completed their first clinical trial of a seven-week program called the Strong African American Families Project. Of the 667 African American mothers and their children who participated in that trial, researchers returned to 272 of the child subjects, who were by now 19 to 20 years old. They collected blood samples and measured those samples for signs of systemic inflammation…”