The Health subcommittee of the House Energy & Commerce Committee took key steps this week on H.R.1192 – The National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission Act. They marked it up and sent it to the full committee for consideration.
The bill seeks to coordinate the federal response to diabetes through a limited time commission. This commission is an approach that proved successful a generation ago, leading to trials that proved the value of tight control. Advances in diabetes medications and devices are an opportunity to be successful coordinating innovative diabetes care again.
I read the pdf and still don’t really understand what this bill would do…
Force the AACE and AMA to talk to each other? Require that they make a joint commission comprised of the two groups and that they come up with recommendations? It says it’s budget neutral so they aren’t going to fund new studies…
I think the problem is that various government agencies are involved in diabetes, NIH, CDC, USDA, HHS, FDA, etc. And they don’t talk to each other. And certain stuff actually never get’s done (like public health recommendations on an appropriate diabetes diet). And then there are debacles like the DPP. If they don’t talk to each other the problem is even worse.
More than three dozen agencies. The idea is they talk to each other. That is a starting point not an end point.
Research funding is a separate issue. There will be a lot of opportunities for that. Connecting research to lives is in part policy. That policy needs to work together not at odds.
Getting the policy makers to connect with diabetes professionals and each other is a needed start. That is possible. This is the bill.
If nothing else it is one of many opportunities to get policy makers on record. We then hold them accountable.
