States Address Diabetes in Minority Populations

More than 26 million Americans have diabetes. Seventy-nine million more have pre-diabetes—an elevated blood sugar level that is not high enough to be classified as diabetes, but which greatly raises the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and its complications. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. The direct medical costs associated with diabetes were $116 billion in 2007, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Disease. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates indirect costs of diabetes to include “increased absenteeism ($2.6 billion), reduced productivity while at work ($20 billion) and lost productive capacity due to early mortality ($26.9 billion).”