There are nearly 24 million children and adults in our country who are living with diabetes and another 57 million have pre-diabetes. Lack of insurance and high health care costs are forcing many people to cut back on - or even go without - doctor visits, medications and diabetes supplies.
Our current health care system fails to ensure access to adequate and affordable health coverage, especially for those living with a chronic health condition like diabetes. Without adequate care, too many suffer needlessly from preventable and costly complications like amputation, blindness, heart and kidney disease.
The current health care system needs to be changed. Health care reform needs to ensure:
- People are not denied coverage because they have diabetes or required to pay higher premiums because of they have a chronic disease
- Health insurance covers basic diabetes needs
- Access to the tools to prevent diabetes
- An end to the racial and ethnic disparities in how diabetes affects Americans
This is the only way to change the future of diabetes in our country. Tell your members of Congress to adopt a health care system that works for people with chronic disease!
We signed the “People with Diabetes Need Health Care Reform” petition!
# 13,252:
12:51 pm PST, Nov 21,Emily Ogle, Pennsylvania
# 13,251:
8:27 am PST, Nov 21,Adam Marter, New York
# 13,250:
3:54 am PST, Nov 21,Alexandra MAUVE, France
# 13,249:
7:07 pm PST, Nov 20,Maria Nieto, California
# 13,248:
6:43 pm PST, Nov 20,Name not displayed, Florida
# 13,247:
3:42 pm PST, Nov 20,Rachel Pope, Texas
Because we must with all diseases. This disease is no different and is crippling the US population. Most people who have diabetes were not born with it they developed it by lack of exercise and poor eating habits or unnatural processed foods. This is nation wide problem that effects all of us particularly our children who are twice as fat as they were 10 years ago. If we do nothing the problem will only get worse and it all ready has. The untreated diabetes will then manifest in to heart disease , stroke and so on... Will we or can we as a nation not afford to take care of our ailing citizens when help is needed the most.Lets be a better people than this.
# 13,246:
9:42 am PST, Nov 20,Judy Gerhardt, Colorado
# 13,245:
9:14 pm PST, Nov 19,Candace Kautzer, New Jersey
# 13,244:
8:23 pm PST, Nov 19,Naomi Schechter, New York
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8:15 pm PST, Nov 19,Name not displayed, Florida
# 13,242:
6:54 pm PST, Nov 19,Brande Pickerel, Washington
# 13,241:
6:01 pm PST, Nov 19,Claudia Nolan, California
I have not been able to secure health insurance for more than 20 years due to pre-existing conditions. In the meantime I developed Type 2 diabetes but, lacking access to health care, it went undiagnosed. As a result I now have difficulty being a productive, employable taxpayer. We both lose.
# 13,240:
4:09 pm PST, Nov 19,Alicia Edmunds, Kansas
Diabetes is a national crisis and must be addressed in our steps forward with Health Care Reform.
# 13,239:
3:41 pm PST, Nov 19,Name not displayed, Utah
# 13,238:
3:26 pm PST, Nov 19,Ira Dudley, Louisiana
# 13,237:
1:50 pm PST, Nov 19,Name not displayed, California
# 13,236:
11:21 am PST, Nov 19,Name not displayed, Kentucky
Too many people have this desease and if it isn't covered they will be in dire straights.
# 13,235:
11:04 am PST, Nov 19,James Reininger, Minnesota
# 13,234:
10:07 am PST, Nov 19,Casey Coss, California
# 13,233:
10:02 am PST, Nov 19,Van Phan, California
Having health care available to everyone is always a great thing. Perhaps making it more known, to have assistance for those with low income would be of great help.
# 13,232:
9:36 am PST, Nov 19,Kalpini K.J. Banks, New York
# 13,231:
9:35 am PST, Nov 19,Lillian Chisolm, Colorado
# 13,230:
8:23 am PST, Nov 19,John Chrystal, North Carolina
Part of the reason (a large part) that there has been such a tremendous growth in such diseases as diabetes is the fact that the US Congress repeatedly ignores the health and well being of the citizens of the US by continually siding with the special interest food and chemical lobbyists.
Do something right for a change!
# 13,229:
8:00 am PST, Nov 19,Robert Stanard, New Mexico
I am a diabetic, forced to continue to work for a company that does not share my values because I cannot obtain Health Insurance any place but through an employers group plan.
# 13,228:
7:04 am PST, Nov 19,Dawn Velez, Wisconsin
Healthcare reform needs to include any pre-existing or long-term condition in order to be effective for all Americans. I strongly urge you to support legislation that provides quality, affordable healthcare for ALL Americans, regardless of their current state of health.
# 13,227:
6:32 am PST, Nov 19,Tiffany Ledford, North Carolina
I know a few people with Diabetes and I am always learning something new from them. Life can be hard enough, but having to deal with the different things that diabetics have to deal with and watching what they eat and stuff makes it that much harder. So why go another step further and make it even harder by leaving them without the help that they need? Diabetes is a life or death situation.
# 13,226:
6:22 am PST, Nov 19,Ryan Pritchard, Ohio
# 13,225:
5:36 am PST, Nov 19,Courtney Osborne, Ohio
# 13,224:
1:44 am PST, Nov 19,Cynthia Mead, Georgia
# 13,223:
10:05 pm PST, Nov 18,Greg Settle, Oregon
# 13,222:
6:30 pm PST, Nov 18,Judith Wolfe, California
I am of of the 57 million with prediabetes...
# 13,221:
6:17 pm PST, Nov 18,Jenni Kerteston, Canada
# 13,220:
5:14 pm PST, Nov 18,Angie Russ, Florida
# 13,219:
3:45 pm PST, Nov 18,Valeska Donoso, California
# 13,218:
3:03 pm PST, Nov 18,Kelsa West, California
# 13,217:
2:57 pm PST, Nov 18,Name not displayed, Maryland
# 13,216:
2:41 pm PST, Nov 18,Louise Olivi, Connecticut
# 13,215:
2:24 pm PST, Nov 18,Alesia Febus, New York
# 13,214:
2:17 pm PST, Nov 18,CHARLENE A MOORE, Florida
I WANT TO LIVE LONG AND WELL even with diabetes
# 13,213:
2:08 pm PST, Nov 18,Lisa Donaldson, Utah
# 13,212:
1:42 pm PST, Nov 18,Timmi Sommer, California
# 13,211:
1:31 pm PST, Nov 18,Jon Corlett, Florida
# 13,210:
1:30 pm PST, Nov 18,Sarah Burke, New York
# 13,209:
1:30 pm PST, Nov 18,Colleen Adomaitis, Florida
# 13,208:
1:22 pm PST, Nov 18,Jeanene Hamilton, Indiana
Diabetes runs in my family. I watched my mother live with it for years. It is so important that people with diabetes receive the proper care during the early stage or even better would be to prevent it.
# 13,207:
1:18 pm PST, Nov 18,Claire Brenner, California
# 13,206:
12:54 pm PST, Nov 18,Lisa Hugg, Illinois
# 13,205:
12:50 pm PST, Nov 18,Mary Truelove, Indiana
# 13,204:
12:21 pm PST, Nov 18,Lisa Williams, Texas
# 13,203:
12:14 pm PST, Nov 18,Ellen Nelson, Michigan
# 13,202:
12:09 pm PST, Nov 18,Angela Anderson, Missouri
TYPE I diabetes should NOT be considered a "pre-existing condition"! Type II diabetes and pre-diabetes are largely preventable, but Type I is genetic and therefor NOT SELF-INCURRED. Please do not deny coverage to Type I diabetics!
