BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Senators from Maine and New Hampshire are working on an effort to make new diabetes management technologies available to more senior citizens.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen say in a statement that a bill they have introduced would create a task force within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to “examine and address barriers that seniors face in accessing the latest diabetes management technologies.”
Collins says seniors have informed her that when they transition to Medicare, they often learn that technologies they’ve long relied on aren’t covered. Shaheen says access to innovation about diabetes management’s especially important in an era when many patients must cope with rising insulin costs.
The proposal also seeks to cut other impediments that prevent patients from accessing diabetes technologies.
