ALEXANDRIA, VA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/06/09 -- The American Diabetes Association announces its support of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) and commends the House of Representatives for including provisions that will make health care more accessible to the millions of Americans with diabetes and other chronic diseases.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act will end discrimination against people with diabetes by prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage or charging higher premiums to people with diabetes. It will eliminate annual and lifetime caps on benefits, limit out-of-pocket expenses, and provide subsidies to those who otherwise could not afford insurance. In addition, the bill provides resources to prevent diabetes through measures such as the creation of a Health and Wellness Fund and funding evidence-based workplace wellness programs.

"The American Diabetes Association strongly supports the efforts that Congress is making to move our health system away from one that will pay for the costly complications that result from diabetes, but not for the tools needed to prevent or manage the disease," said George Huntley, Chair of the American Diabetes Association. "We are particularly pleased to see this legislation move to the floor of the House during American Diabetes Month and just as the Association launches its Stop Diabetes Movement. Health care reform is an essential element to stopping the epidemic of diabetes and we have called on people with, and at risk for, diabetes to urge their members of Congress to vote yes on this important legislation."

The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight against the deadly consequences of diabetes and fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information, please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.

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