Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Diabetics To Benefit From Law

Effective May 14, Arkansans with diabetes are benefit from a new law (Act 1249) passed in the 1997 legislative session. Most private insurance companies will now pay for diabetes supplies and education in self-management of diabetes when ordered by physicians.

Many complications of diabetes could be slowed or prevented by better management on the part of the patient and the health care team. Until passage of Act 1249, many private insurance companies did not pay for patient education, and only selected supplies were covered.

Diabetes is costly in both lives and money in Arkansas. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in Arkansas, killing 578 people in 1996. "The passage of this law will give appropriate education and supplies to more people with diabetes" Dr. Sandra B. Nichols, director of the Arkansas Department of Health, said. "They can now learn how to prevent the devastating complications of diabetes."

About five percent of adult Arkansans (or 126,000 people) have been diagnosed with diabetes. An equal number probably have diabetes and don't know it.

In addition to deaths, diabetes also leads to 170 new cases of blindness per year in Arkansas and accounts for over 700 amputations of feet or legs each year. There were also 276 new cases of kidney failure in Arkansas in 1996. Arkansas spent $24 million in state tax dollars for diabetes care on Medicaid program in 1996. Diabetes has a disproportionate effect on minority communities.

Finding good education programs is sometimes a problem since about half of the Arkansas population lives in rural areas. However, patients and their physicians should seek out a program in self-management which is delivered by qualified professionals and meets the national standards set by the American Diabetes Association.

For more information about programs meeting these standards, contact the Diabetes Control Program of the Arkansas Department of Health (501-661-2785), The Arkansas Affiliate of the American Diabetes Association (501-221-7444), or the Arkansas Insurance Department (501-371-2600).