PRINTER'S NO. 702
No. 46 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY BODACK, COSTA, WAGNER, MUSTO, TARTAGLIONE, EARLL,
MADIGAN, HELFRICK, MELLOW, BELL, PUNT, STAPLETON, SALVATORE,
KUKOVICH, WILLIAMS, O'PAKE, KASUNIC, BELAN, LAVALLE, FUMO,
KITCHEN, SCHWARTZ, BOSCOLA, WOZNIAK, STOUT, HUGHES AND
RHOADES, MARCH 24, 1999
REFERRED TO INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, MARCH 24, 1999
A RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing Congress to require comprehensive coverage of
2 diabetic treatment, supplies and self-management training in
3 all Federal and federally regulated insurance programs.
4 WHEREAS, There are 15.7 million diabetics in the United
5 States, 40% of whom do not know they have the disease; and
6 WHEREAS, Almost 20% of people over 65 years old have
7 diabetes; and
8 WHEREAS, Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in
9 the United States and the third leading cause of death by
10 disease in Pennsylvania; and
11 WHEREAS, Nationwide there are 187,000 diabetes-related deaths
12 annually, including an estimated 12,000 diabetes-related deaths
13 in Pennsylvania each year, three times the number of deaths from
14 AIDS, Alzheimer's disease and homicide; and
15 WHEREAS, Diabetes is a controllable disease in which sharp
16 reductions in rates of complications can be obtained with proper
17 management of blood glucose levels, specifically, a 56%
1 reduction in the incidence of kidney disease, a 60% reduction in
2 blindness and a 61% reduction in nerve disease; and
3 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment
4 Council, in its report on the act of October 16, 1998 (P.L.784,
5 No.98) (Act 98 of 1998), stated that it "finds evidence to
6 suggest that providing diabetics with supplies, medication,
7 self-management education and medical nutrition therapy can be
8 both medically and cost effective"; and
9 WHEREAS, In 1998, Pennsylvania became the 30th state to
10 require private and group health insurance plans to provide
11 comprehensive coverage for diabetic supplies and self-management
12 training; and
13 WHEREAS, Act 98 of 1998 provides new benefit coverage to an
14 estimated 4.5 million Pennsylvanians who have health insurance
15 policies that can be regulated by the State; however, no State
16 mandate applies to insurance programs run or regulated by the
17 Federal Government; and
18 WHEREAS, The Federal Government has provided for general
19 Medicare coverage of some supplies needed for persons with
20 diabetes; however, insulin and syringes are excluded; and
21 WHEREAS, A large number of individuals who have insurance
22 under self-funded health plans regulated by the Employee
23 Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 have no guarantee of any
24 sort of coverage; therefore be it
25 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
26 memorialize Congress to enact the same mandated benefits as
27 contained in Act 98 of 1998 in all Federal insurance programs
28 and all federally regulated, self-funded health insurance
29 programs governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act
30 of 1974; and be it further
19990S0046R0702 - 2 -
1 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
2 the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each
3 member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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