About one-third of Americans will develop diabetes sometime in their lifetime. This chronic disease can cause severe health problems, damage vital organs, and shorten life expectancy.

The harm diabetes does to America’s collective health is matched by the financial toll it takes. The disease costs the U.S. nearly $330 billion a year, including $90 billion in lost productivity in the workplace.

Capital Blue Cross offers a broad range of proven resources and support to help get diabetes under control and encourage healthier lifestyle choices that can prevent diabetes.

In 2021, Capital became the first Pennsylvania health insurer to offer a unique program that works to reverse type 2 diabetes through a well-formulated, ketogenic diet that helps the body use fat, rather than carbohydrates, as its primary fuel. Capital also offers a separate program that helps members reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and helps those with types 1 or 2 manage their diseases.

Diabetes Strategies that Work

Our efforts to fight the diabetes epidemic are paying off for members and employers:

• Capital members using the diabetes control program collectively lost more than 26,000 pounds in 2022.

• Capital members using the diabetes reversal program saw their A1c levels drop by more than a full point on average in just the first 90 days. Higher A1c levels are linked to diabetes complications.

• On average, Capital members also were able to reduce prescription medications by about 45% in the first 90 days of using the diabetes reversal strategy.

• Combined, the diabetes control programs already have helped Capital customers save nearly $6 million collectively, and an average engaged member can save $1,800 to $2,000 annually.

Other Ways Capital Fights the Diabetes Epidemic

In addition to these tools, Capital reaches out to high-risk members with diabetes to provide care management opportunities and offers multiple programs to employer groups, including a diabetes presentation, an awareness toolkit, and Take Charge – a virtual, self-paced course that helps participants develop lifestyle habits to control diabetes.

For those who want a more personalized healthcare experience or are unsure where to start on their journey to better health, Capital offers one-on-one consultations at any of our five Capital Blue Cross Connect health and wellness centers across the region.