Delaware legislation expands preventative care access for diabetes patients

Millboro, Del. – A new bill signed by Governor Matt Meyer is set to improve access to preventative care for diabetes patients in Delaware.

House Bill 305 was signed by Governor Meyer on Aug. 31 and sponsored by Rep. Jeff Hilovsky (R-District 4). The bill amends the state code in the Delaware Diabetes Wellness Pilot Program to enable more patients to access preventative care. Hilovsky says the change will improve the health outcomes for Delawareans and drive down healthcare costs.

“If we reduce the cost 5% on $1.5 billion, that’s $65 million per year per year of savings …  but we’re doing more than that,” he said. “We’re reducing human suffering, and that is so critical.”

Hilovsky added that many in the state were paying exorbitant prices for insulin injections and said untreated diabetes can lead to several other detrimental health outcomes.

“There’s an amputation every three and a half minutes in this country. People go blind from that disease, … heart attacks and hypertension and Alzheimer’s results from all this,” he said. “So what we’re trying to do is flip the switch, free up the preventive care and put a continuous monitor on everybody.”

He said the program is funded through the Federal Rural Health Transformation Program.