Advocacy efforts on behalf of the Type 1 community are in full swing.  I just got back from Washington DC meetings last week. 

Locally, we had meetings with our Congressional Representatives and some of our families this fall.  We have also met with most of our newly-elected Congressmen.  All our local delegation have been very supportive of our cause.

In Washington DC, I met with each Congressman’s health aide to talk specifically about legislative issues we have in Congress.  These include the SDP, the cost of insulin, protection for those with pre-existing conditions and funding for the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) and NIH (National Institutes of Health).

The Special Diabetes Program (SDP), a federally-funded program that provides $150 million per year for Type 1 research, is up for renewal.  The program’s funding runs out at the end of September. 

The insulin pump, the CGM and the artificial pancreas all were developed because of this program.  It also funds a 23-year study looking at how and when someone becomes diabetic.  This program is following over 8,000 children at high risk for T1 and is trying to figure out what is the trigger to the immune system.  

There is a renewal bill in the Senate.  We hope to have one soon in the House.  Your next Action Alert should be to contact your Congressman to sign on as a co-sponsor on these bills.  If you do not receive Action Alerts, please go to jdrf.org and sign up as an advocate.  Your voice is important.  When you get an Action Alert, please follow through.  It may look familiar to another alert.  There are different but similiar actions.

Congressional hearings into the high cost of insulin are already going on in DC.  All members expressed support to insure coverage for those with pre-existing conditions and all expressed support for robust funding for the FDA and NIH.

Again, we are very lucky to have a supportive Congressional Delegation from our area.  If you run into a Congressman, feel free to thank them for their support and express your concern that the SDP be renewed.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. peggy@kruckemeyerlaw.com

Peggy Kruckemeyer
JDRF Volunteer