North Carolina Project May Help Texas Diabetics

One of the growing issues in health care is the number of people suffering from diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, 23.6 million Americans, or about 7.8 percent of our population, have diabetes. As a member of Williamson County’s Health Benefits Committee, which oversees the health and other benefits for the county’s approximately 2,980 employees and dependents, I have spent a lot of time studying the rising cost of health care. Like many Americans, we are looking for new and innovative programs to help lower costs while improving health.
One new program recently instituted by the county shows promise of helping our employees and/or dependents with diabetes live healthier lives while hopefully also saving the county taxpayers money. The program is HealthMapRX, but it is based on a long-term study called the Asheville Project. The Asheville Project took place in Asheville, N.C., over a 10-year time period. The results were impressive. Over 50 percent of the patients’ health improved, the cost of medical care decreased by as much as $1,200 per year, plus the used sick leave decreased, saving one employee group $18,000 annually.
To participate in the program, the patient agrees to meet with a specially trained pharmacist, called a health coach, on a regular basis to discuss and track the illness. Administering medications and managing diabetes as well as healthy lifestyle choices are discussed with the health coach at the confidential meetings. If the patient successfully participates in the program, the co-payments usually charged for diabetes-related medications and supplies are waived. So, the patient gets a financial break while also hopefully improving his or her health. The county has a healthier employee whose attendance at work is improved, and health care costs are decreased. The county’s program is for those insured who are already diagnosed with diabetes. It is totally voluntary, and we currently have about 50 patients enrolled in the program.
Programs such as this one are a new way of looking at health insurance. But, with costs rising, I think that new ideas should continue to be explored. For more details on the Asheville Project, a wealth of information is available on the Web site of the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists, www.ncpharmacists.org. For more information on any county issue, please visit our Web site, www.wilco.org, or contact me at 512-733-5380 or lbirkman@wilco.org.
By Williamson County Commissioner Lisa Birkman