Access to diabetes technology shouldn’t be decided by age: Diabetes Australia

By Nicola Garrett

30 Aug 2017

Diabetes Australia has renewed its call to expand subsidised access to diabetes technologies to include adults at high risk of hypoglycaemia.

Earlier this year the Federal government made good on a promise of a $54 million funding package over four years to subsidise continuous glucose monitoring for children and young adults under 21 years.

At the time, Diabetes Australia CEO Associate Professor Greg Johnson said the CGM subsidy was the most significant investment in type 1 diabetes technology in over a decade.

But now, in a new position statement on glucose self-monitoring the peak body says age should not be a deciding factor in who gets access to evidence based diabetes technology.

“Too often subsidies are limited to people aged under 21 years despite the evidence of health benefit being equally strong for adults,” said the statement which was launched here in Perth at the start of the ADS/ADEA conference.

According to Diabetes Australia subsidised access to continuous glucose monitoring, including devices and sensors, should be made available to:  adults with type 1 diabetes experiencing recurrent severe hypos or impaired awareness of hypos, or significant fear of hypos; and women with type 1 diabetes using insulin while planning for a pregnancy and during pregnancy.

Furthermore, subsidised access to flash glucose monitoring (sensors) should be made available through the NDSS to adults with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes using insulin, the statement adds.

It also highlights the importance of structured glucose monitoring for all people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

The direct healthcare costs of diabetes total $1.7 billion per year, with indirect costs thought to be as high as $14.6 billion per year.

“Given these costs, it makes economic sense to make glucose self-monitoring technologies affordable and accessible to all Australians with diabetes who would benefit,” the statement adds.

Speaking to the limbic Greg Johnson said the purpose of the position statement was to help people with diabetes navigate the wide range of technologies that currently existed.

“It can be confusing for people with diabetes, and for many health professionals, funders and policy makers…we’re trying to paint a clear picture and say here’s what it looks like,” he said.

Diabetes technologies were a mainstay of diabetes self management and needed to be accessible and affordable, he said, noting that access to technologies needed to be targeted at high-risk groups.

“That risk isn’t age dependent – the risk is the same if you’re over 21, have severe hypos or impaired awareness of hypos,” he added.

You can read the full position statement here.

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