High levels of sugar in the blood is a tough challenge to face. Diabetes is a sickness that brings with itself many problems and further symptoms. Around 30 million people from the USA are diagnosed with this disease, and it is estimated that even 8 million more might now even know they have it too. Every year the number increases by 1.4 million. It is also estimated that over 90 million in the United States have prediabetes. Diabetes is not just a health issue. It is a real threat to the well-being of society. This disease adds up significantly to your health care expenses. Fortunately, diabetes can be prevented or delayed, and this is what you should focus on. It is a long-process to lower the risk of getting sick, but it is worth it. That is why it is so important to be well informed about all health insurance options out there and every type of prevention program. Here is all you need to know about the most important program in the US market, the one provided by Medicare.
What is it?
The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, so the MDPP, is a lifestyle change program to help decrease the number of people in the USA getting sick with diabetes. The initiative was introduced by President Obama’s administration and is a great success.
The program offers medical services to people that fulfil a set of requirements. The requirements are as follows:
- To have a BMI index of 25 and more (23 and more if you are from Asia)
- Not to be diagnosed with diabetes type 1 or 2
- To have a level of fasting plasma glucose between 110 and125mg/dL, or a 2-hour plasma glucose between 140 and 199 mg/dL
- To have a haemoglobin A1c test result of 5.7-6.4%
- Not to have taken part in the Medicare diabetes prevention program before
So, if you meet all those requirements, please consider entering the program.
How can you prevent diabetes?
There are three ways which prove to prevent getting sick when it comes to the disease.
First would be to control your weight. Losing excessive pounds and getting more exercise can lower your possibility of diabetes by 58%. And if you are over 60 years on this planet, it can be reduced even by 71%.
The second most important thing to do is to get checked regularly — especially your sugar level, cholesterol and blood pressure. If you have healthy levels of all three, you can feel safe.
Lastly, the medication, more specifically metformin, was found to lower the risk of diabetes by 31%, particularly with younger people.
What does the Medicare program cover?
The program is designed to help you not get sick with type 2 diabetes, so the type that 90 to 95% of people with diabetes have. It starts with 16 group sessions over six months. In these sessions you will be provided with:
- Training to eliminate bad habits
- Advice on how to exercise more
- Weight-control strategies
- Sessions with a professional coach to keep your motivation high
- Support from fellow participants in reaching the same goals
After the core course, you will join another six months course, a follow-up. It will be less intensive but should help you on your way of maintaining proper well-being. By the time you have finished the follow-up course, you should already have set good habits for life.
Next is the 12 months-long period of maintenance sessions, that will be available to you if you meet specific attendance and weight loss goals. After the maintenance year, the program ends, and you can safely consider yourself a healthy person.
What are the costs in original Medicare?
The Medicare Diabetes Prevention program for the participants that meet all of the requirements is free of charge. You do not pay for the services provided.
How to enrol in the program?
You should know that there are different suppliers of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, depending on the location you find yourself in. There are usually a couple of them in each state. You can easily find the list of suppliers on the Medicare website. Once you found your local supplier, you should contact him and ask about the documents needed for the procedure of enrollment. Then, what you should do is to get tested and check if you meet all the requirements to become a participant. It is not that complicated, and people working for your supplier are there to help you, so don’t hesitate in contacting them.
Where can you find more information?
If you need more specifics on the program itself, visit Youtube, where you can find a five-minute video explaining the program. It is called ”Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) Orientation”. You can also visit the official website for Medicare or ask your doctor about it. Diabetes does not have to be your future. Take good care of yourself and think more about your future. Make it a healthy one!
