Taking on Diabetes Fact Sheet

Begun in 1999, for five years, the American Association of Health Plans (AAHP), now America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) worked together to promote the highest quality of care for people with diabetes. The joint initiative, Taking on Diabetes, represented a nationwide, long-term commitment to improve the lives of people with diabetes by dramatically reducing the terrible consequences of the disease.

Taking on Diabetes combined the knowledge and experience of the ADA with the unique strengths of health plans to promote screening, early intervention, and state-of-the-art treatment. The program involved approximately 250 health plans providing coverage for more than 80 million Americans - and more than five million people with diabetes.

Taking on Diabetes activities included:

• Community Partnerships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Westchester County, New York, and Kansas City, Missouri, brought together health plans, medical societies, hospitals, local ADA chapters, and county and state health officials to tackle this important public health problem. The New Mexico and New York Coalitions remain active participants in this initiative.
  
  In a Executive Summary Report 2001-2004, New Mexico Health Care Takes on Diabetes, announced significant improvements in diabetes care in six key areas: eye exams, blood glucose screening and control, cholesterol screening and control, and monitoring for nephropathy.
  
  
• Employer tools were developed with the Employers’ Managed Health Care Association (which has ceased operations) that enabled employers to successfully implement worksite diabetes programs. Many progressive employers are offering employee worksite diabetes programs to sustain a healthy and productive workforce.
  
  
• Public Service Announcements (PSAs) that encouraged people with diabetes, especially minorities that are disproportionately affected by the disease, to receive important tests such as eye and foot exams. The first PSA (available in video, audio, and print formats and in both Spanish and English) involved AAHP, now AHIP, ADA and the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and was part of a national campaign to encourage patients to receive annual eye exams. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the United States, but it can be prevented in most people with diabetes who get regular eye examinations.
  
  A second PSA – also in video, audio, and print formats and in both Spanish and English – features Roberto Garza, starting offensive lineman for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, encouraging people with diabetes to get foot exams. Each year, more than 82,000 citizens with diabetes suffer amputations of feet and lower limbs, many of them unnecessarily because of inadequate foot care.