- Wednesday, May 13th, 2020
Sen. Tim Scott among lawmakers pushing for virtual diabetes prevention program
U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) and Mark Warner (D-Virginia) are working to provide access to Medicare beneficiaries to virtual suppliers in the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis.
Sens. Scott and Warner sent a letter last year to agencies asking virtual providers to fully integrate in the program’s expanded model. However, those agencies have not been facilitated their inclusion.
Recently, Scott and a group of senators sent a letter to the Departnment of Health and Human Services and the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Service asking the agency to step in and help citizens attain access to virtual diabetes prevention programs.
“We continue to strongly support permanent eligibility for these providers, who have the potential to dramatically expand access to beneficiaries in need, and we urge you to ensure their eligibility for at least the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency,” the letter stated. “This step would both enable access for millions of eligible beneficiaries and provide key foundational data on the effectiveness and integrity of virtual programs within the MDPP.”
In total, a coalition of 12 U.S. Senators has signed this letter.