This National Diabetes Week 2024, July 14-21, focuses on improving access to life-changing diabetes technology.
Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) and insulin pumps have undoubtedly revolutionised diabetes management, significantly improving the quality of life and health outcomes for people with all types of diabetes.
However, the high cost of these technologies remains a barrier for many Australians. Diabetes Australia, supported by the Australian Diabetes Society and the Australian Diabetes Educators Association, in collaboration with many other organisations, healthcare professionals, and people living with diabetes, advocates for a $200 million investment over four years to increase subsidies for these technologies. This investment could support nearly 40,000 people living with diabetes to access these devices, prioritising those with the greatest need.
The proposed subsidies would target specific groups:
- Insulin pumps for people with type 1 diabetes who are:
- Under 21 years of age
- Over 21 years of age with a healthcare card
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- CGM devices for people with type 2 and other types of diabetes who are:
- Pregnant
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Under 21 years of age
- Requiring multiple daily insulin injections
Implementing these subsidies could significantly reduce the economic burden on our health system by billions of dollars each year through the prevention of diabetes-related complications such as stroke, heart attack, blindness, and kidney disease.
A recent Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes, among its 23 recommendations (listed below), suggested the value of expanding subsidised access to CGM devices and insulin pumps. This recognition at the parliamentary level is a positive step towards improving access to these vital technologies.
As we head into National Diabetes Week 2024, we want to ensure our NADC services are aware of these campaigns and have access to all of the relevant information to help prepare their workforce as required.
We are pleased to provide in the links to these resources below.
List of Recommendations from the Inquiry into Diabetes 2024
Recommendation 1
2.125 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government undertakes a comprehensive economic analysis of the direct and indirect cost of all forms of diabetes mellitus in Australia.
Recommendation 2
3.177 The Committee recommends that the National Health and Medical Research Council expedites a review of the Australian Dietary Guidelines, and ensures that the revised guidelines include adequate information for Australians living with diabetes.
Recommendation 3
3.179 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government implements food labelling reforms targeting added sugar to allow consumers to clearly identify the content of added sugar from front-of-pack labelling. This food labelling initiative should be separate from the information regarding added sugar potentially being included in the Nutrition Information Panel.
Recommendation 4
3.181 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government implements a levy on sugar-sweetened beverages, such that the price is modelled on international best practice and the anticipated improvement of health outcomes. The levy should be graduated according to the sugar content.
Recommendation 5
3.184 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government considers regulating the marketing and advertising of unhealthy food to children, and that this regulation should:
• Focus on children defined as those aged 16 and under
• Be applied to television, radio, gaming and online
• Use definition of unhealthy food that has been independently developed.
Recommendation 6
3.186 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government provides its response to the Australian Food Story: Feeding the Nation and Beyond report and considers a dedicated resource within the Department of Health and Aged Care to support access to healthy food to all Australian communities.
Recommendation 7
3.188 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, in consultation and cooperation with state and territory governments, develops a best practice framework to tackle the problem of obesogenic environments, including through better urban planning and the development of physical activity initiatives and supports efforts to increase access to regular exercise in schools and neighbourhoods as a matter of urgency.
Recommendation 8
4.138 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government explores the potential for effective national screening programs for all forms of diabetes, particularly Type 2 diabetes.
Recommendation 9
4.139 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government implements a national public health campaign to increase public awareness of the early signs of all forms of diabetes mellitus.
Recommendation 10
4.141 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government funds the development of education-based obesity screening information and resources.
Recommendation 11
4.143 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government implements a national public health campaign to increase awareness of the importance of prevention, identification of early signs, and good management of all forms of diabetes mellitus.
Recommendation 12
4.144 The Committee recommends that equitable access to health care for people living with all forms of diabetes be improved through:.
• Access to longer appointments with a health care provider subsidised by the MBS
• Access to case conferencing models of health care, especially in rural and remote areas
• Access to telehealth services
• Increase in the number of item numbers for allied health consultation for those with diabetes for diabetes educators and dieticians and other allied health providers
• Access to diabetes educators, including in high-risk outer metropolitan, rural and remote communities.
Recommendation 13
4.146 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government reviews the limits for accessing juvenile mental health and diabetes services, with a view to enabling young people to continue receiving support for longer.
Recommendation 14
4.147 The Committee recommends the Australian Government work with the state and territory governments to develop education tools and resources to support all staff across the health care system to improve understanding of diabetes, its different forms, the early signs and management. The Diabetes in Schools program should be funded to allow all schools to access it.
Recommendation 15
5.89 The Committee recommends that subsidised access to Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) be further expanded. In the first instance, all access limitations in relation to patients with Type 1 diabetes should be removed. Furthermore, individuals with insulin-dependent Type 3c diabetes and patients with gestational diabetes should be made eligible for subsidised CGMs and for those with Type 2 diabetes requiring regular insulin. The Committee recommends prioritising the removal of age limitations on access to subsidised access for Type 1 diabetes patients.
Recommendation 16
5.94 The Australian Government should explore expanding subsidised access to insulin pumps for all Australians with Type 1 diabetes. A gradual increase, such as expanding access to those aged 40 and under, would be useful as an initial step.
Recommendation 17
5.96 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government undertakes a review of the price and choice of insulin pumps in Australia.
Recommendation 18
6.88 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government, subject to a positive recommendation from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, expands the eligibility criteria for Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, particularly for high-risk patients.
Recommendation 19
6.90 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government establishes mechanisms for securing supplies of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for disadvantaged and remote communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities.
Recommendation 20
6.91 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government considers expanding access to bariatric surgery within the public system for eligible patients.
Recommendation 21
7.66 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government takes steps to manage diabetes research efforts through the Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) by coordinating with the peak bodies such as JDRF and Diabetes Australia research priorities with an emphasis on equitable access and prevention. The Committee also recommends that the Australian Government considers increased funding for Type 1 diabetes research and clinical trials.
Recommendation 22
7.68 The Committee recommends that the Australian Government undertakes a survey of current diabetes-related data, with a view to developing strategies for establishing new and improving current data sources and for establishing a national diabetes mellitus register within the CDC.
Recommendation 23
8.54 The Committee recommends that the Australian Centre for Evaluation in the Department of Treasury commits to the ongoing assessment of any actions taken in respect of Committee recommendations made in this report.
