WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Maine Senator Susan Collins (R) is partnering with New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D) to introduce legislation expanding seniors' access to new diabetes technologies. The two senators are co-chairs of the Senate Diabetes Caucus.
The bill, named the Improving Medicare Beneficiary Access to Innovative Diabetes Technologies Act, would create a special task force at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) aimed at examining and addressing the barriers seniors can face in accessing the latest technologies to manage their diabetes.
"This will help ensure that outdated coverage criteria does not impede access to technologies that will improve care and reduce costs to the health care system as a whole," said Senator Collins.
The Special Task Force on Coverage and Payment for Innovative Diabetes Technologies and Services would report annually, making specific recommendations to the HHS and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on a number of categories concerning diabetes coverage.
This is not the first time the New England Senators have worked together on diabetes health laws. In March, Collins and Shaheen reintroduced a bill to expand Medicare coverage for diabetes management.
