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View Full Version : Undiagnosed D costs in the US

foxl
05-07-2009, 07:34 AM
Undiagnosed diabetes costs U.S. $18 billion a year (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090506/hl_nm/us_diabetes_usa_costs)

Nothing we did not know, but now with NUMBERS attached. Ouch.

Hopefully this will modify some guidelines and more MDs will do routine OGTTs???
aleshamuffin
05-07-2009, 10:17 AM
im confused how can undiagnosed diabetes cost money...I dont want to sound stupid but it isnt clicking in my brain...:o
foxl
05-07-2009, 10:34 AM
Complications that could have been prevented, by earlier diagnosis and treatment.

Like heart attacks, strokes, renal and retinal damages, nerve damage ... feet.
aleshamuffin
05-07-2009, 10:36 AM
oh okay that makes sense, thanks.
Evermont
05-07-2009, 10:45 AM
Being diagnosed is preferred to being undiagnosed. Prevention would be better still.

Preventing diabetes would prevent a multitude of other health problems too.

Prevention.
foxl
05-07-2009, 10:57 AM
Being diagnosed is preferred to being undiagnosed. Prevention would be better still.

Preventing diabetes would prevent a multitude of other health problems too.

Prevention.


Oh, you mean, like the food pyramid? ;-)
BlueSky
05-07-2009, 01:31 PM
Complications that could have been prevented, by earlier diagnosis and treatment.

Like heart attacks, strokes, renal and retinal damages, nerve damage ... feet.
I wonder how much all this would have cost if diabetes had been diagnosed in all cases. The medicine business model, such as it is, tends to be self serving. Costs keep going up, while health improvement outcomes get left behind ... :( .
foxl
05-07-2009, 01:34 PM
I wonder how much all this would have cost if diabetes had been diagnosed in all cases. The medicine business model, such as it is, tends to be self serving. Costs keep going up, while health improvement outcomes get left behind ... :( .

With third parties involved, it is so much harder ot knwo where to point the finger. If your MD does tests and the insurance denies payment, you are stuck with it. So then the MDs avoid ordering certain things ...
jshuffle
05-07-2009, 02:21 PM
You'd think a test strip per doctor visit would cost less than $18 billion. Insurance companies might even be able to understand those numbers...
foxl
05-07-2009, 02:25 PM
This entire $%!# country runs on the short view, though.

Like the turnover among CEOs ... surely that is the custom currently in insurance cos, too, no???
fgummett
05-07-2009, 03:30 PM
The current Type 2 D epidemic is the best case for an ounce of prevention being better than a pound of cure... trouble is there are too many financial interests at stake.