For 80 years the ADA has been driving discovery and research to treat, manage and prevent diabetes, while working relentlessly for a cure. We help people with diabetes thrive by fighting for their rights and developing programs, advocacy and education designed to improve their quality of life. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will make us Connected for Life.

The American Diabetes Association urges Congress to make diabetes a priority in the 117th Congress.

 

Increase federal funding for diabetes research and programs.

• Provide $2.29 billion for the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the primary federal agency that conducts research to find a cure and advance treatments for diabetes. This investment in NIDDK is needed to advance the nation’s efforts to develop new and superior treatments, enhance disease detection and management, improve the prevention of diabetes and its complications, and ultimately discover a cure.
• Provide $185 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) whose mission is to eliminate the preventable burden of diabetes through research, education, and by translating science into clinical practice. This investment in the DDT will allow CDC to build upon its innovative diabetes translational research, strengthen surveillance efforts, and expand national, state, and community programs. These programs provide essential information and education about diabetes risk, complications, treatment, and management to the public, health care providers, and patients.
• Provide $40 million for the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP), which can dramatically reduce the number of new diabetes cases in individuals with prediabetes. Funding for and continued implementation of the National DPP would allow the CDC to dramatically expand the reach of proven, evidence-based community programs to identify, refer, and provide those at high-risk for diabetes with cost-effective interventions.

 
Increase funding for the Special Diabetes Program and Special Diabetes Program for Indians.

• Support a $50 million increase in SDP/SDPI funding to bolster the program during this very difficult time for Americans with diabetes. SDP provides critical funding for research toward a cure for type 1 diabetes and funding for type 2 diabetes prevention and management activities in Native American communities.

COVID-19 and Diabetes

• Support COVID-19 testing and vaccine distribution funding targeted to high-risk and medically underserved communities. Americans with diabetes and other related underlying health conditions are hospitalized 6 times more often and are 12 times more likely to die of COVID-19.
• Support increased financial assistance for COBRA and individuals with ACA marketplace plans. The unemployment rate among Americans with diabetes is 18 percent during the pandemic, prompting a significant interruption in insurance coverage.
• Support additional funding for federal nutrition programs such as SNAP. A quarter of Americans with diabetes are rationing insulin and other care during the pandemic, and these dangerous cost-cutting measures are spilling into other needs, like food.

Upcoming meetings will focus on ensuring Congress appropriates robust funding for diabetes research and prevention programs for Fiscal Year 2022, as well as health equity and access to affordable drugs, devices and care.  

If you are interested in participating in Connected to Congress, sign up to become an ADA Influencer, and we will reach out to you if we have meetings scheduled with your legislators and to provide updates about high-impact advocacy opportunities.

Our goal is to educate lawmakers about issues important to people living with diabetes and remain in contact with them at crucial times during the year. Members of Congress want to hear from you—their constituents—to understand your priorities. Your story helps the cause of the diabetes community on Capitol Hill.

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For more information contact:
Matt Scott | Director, Legislative Affairs mscott@diabetes.org