ACT NOW: Ask for Medicare Coverage for CGM

Access to quality diabetes care products through private insurance and Medicare is critical to living successfully with diabetes and minimizing costly complications. Join other DPAC Patient Voices in calling for access Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) and coverage processes that provide patients with the tools they need.The cornerstone of diabetes self-management is making timely changes to manage blood glucose levels. To do that, people need access to quality blood glucose testing supplies, medications, and devices.Medicare CGM Access Act of 2015 (S804/HR1427) are bipartisan companion bills were introduced by Senators Collins and Shaheen and Representatives Reed, DeGette and Whitfield.Continuous Glucose Monitoring is life-saving 21-century technology that can help prevent costly hospitalization of American seniors with diabetes. CGM can save lives - and money; the average cost of an emergency room visit and subsequent hospital admission for a low blood sugar is $17,000. Medicare should join the vast majority of private insurance providers in making CGM accessible by Medicare patients. Seniors with diabetes should not lose this powerful tool when they join Medicare.The 'Medicare CGM Access Act of 2015' would resolve this coverage oversight by Medicare and help pave the way for coverage of the next generation of CGM-related technologies, such as Artificial Pancreas (AP) systems.We believe that well-controlled diabetes is the leading cause of nothing. The high cost of diabetes complications can be minimized through the immediate investment in safe and accurate tools of good care.We believe that all patients, regardless of age or socioeconomic status, should have access to devices, including continuous glucose monitors (CGM) that can prevent immediate and long-term diabetes complications.ACT NOW to ask your members of Congress to co-sponsor the Medicare CGM Access Act of 2015, or if one of your elected officials already has co-sponsored the bill, send them a thank you. (Don't worry, we'll do the work to find out if your members of Congress have co-sponsored or not!)