What’s the news: Accessing a Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program—a yearlong program that offers coaching to prevent type 2 diabetes—just got easier for patients because they will for the first time be able to partake in a program virtually, and on a continued basis with the elimination of the one-per lifetime benefit design.
The federal budget deal passed earlier this year incorporated parts of AMA-endorsed legislation, the PREVENT Diabetes Act, by including language that allows the program to expand to include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recognized virtual diabetes prevention programs. The virtual programs will be included in the expanded program model—the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program—on a trial basis through the end of 2029.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, also eliminated a rule that participating in a Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program be a once-per-lifetime benefit.
This is one of eight major wins for patients and physicians included in the budget deal. These victories didn’t happen by chance. They happened because the AMA fought for them, and they were only possible because the AMA brought the full strength of its advocacy to Capitol Hill. That powerful effort encompasses thousands of interactions with congressional offices, hundreds of letters and resources, congressional testimony and more, says the “AMA Advocacy Impact Report.”
Why this win matters: Allowing older adults with prediabetes to access lifestyle-change programs virtually helps eliminate barriers to evidence-based, preventive efforts. This especially improves access to care for Medicare beneficiaries in rural parts of the nation and those in underserved communities where in-person prevention programs don’t exist.
Half of Americans 65 or older have prediabetes. Meanwhile, nearly 27% of the Medicare population—more than 11 million older adults—already have diabetes. Preventing or delaying diabetes onset needs to be a national priority because the disease is costly and puts people at high risk for severe complications.
Experts predict the country will spend more than $2 trillion over the next decade—including $1.7 trillion in federal spending—on Medicare patients with prediabetes and diabetes.
A Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program typically includes 16 weekly sessions during the first six months of the program and monthly maintenance sessions for the last six months of the program.
With strong support from the AMA, the nationwide program was established in 2010 as a way to combat the rise of type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown that the lifestyle change program that prioritizes healthy eating and increased physical activity can help at-risk individuals significantly reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Learn more: Catch up with the AMA’s longstanding advocacy for diabetes prevention.
And find out how AMA MAP™ Prediabetes Solutions help physicians and health care organizations adopt and execute strategies to prevent type 2 diabetes. Effective and early identification and management of prediabetes are critical steps in preventing the progression to type 2 diabetes and improving patient outcomes. This AMA collection of evidence-based resources is designed to support doctors and care team members in implementing and optimizing diabetes-prevention strategies within their organizations.
