Medicare could soon cover a pilot program aimed at preventing people from developing diabetes, according to a report from The Washington Post.
Federal officials made the announcement March 23, on the sixth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act's passage.
In the announcement, officials said Medicare could one day help cover prevention services for patients with prediabetes, a serious health condition that affects 86 million Americans and may lead to type 2 diabetes, according to the report. The program is currently conducted at YMCAs across the nation.
HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell estimated that over the course of 15 months, expanding the five-year, $11.8 million pilot program would save $2,650 per beneficiary, compared with current payment models, according to The Washington Post. She noted that amount would be more than enough to cover its costs.
According to the report, HHS has not yet determined when Medicare might start paying for prevention services for patients with prediabetes, or how it would afford them. It is also unclear when all Medicare beneficiaries would be covered, the report notes.