WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), co-chairs of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, and U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO-01) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12), co-chairs of the U.S. House Diabetes Caucus, wrote to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz urging the agency not to finalize a proposal the lawmakers warned could reduce and complicate patient access to continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and durable insulin pumps. CGMs and insulin pumps help patients monitor and manage their diabetes – reducing hospitalizations, preventing life-threatening complications and improving quality of life.
In their letter to Administrator Oz, the lawmakers highlighted that including CGMs and insulin pumps in the Medicare competitive bidding program would limit the number of device suppliers, which would reduce patient access to devices and create barriers to obtaining necessary services.
“As you know, diabetes is one of the most common and costliest chronic diseases among Americans. Despite the prevalence and costly nature of this disease, many Medicare beneficiaries have difficulty accessing effective tools to manage their diabetes, such as CGMs and insulin pumps ...,” the lawmakers wrote. “These tools are also cost-effective, as research has shown that their use has yielded billions of dollars of savings to federal health care programs, namely due to reduced hospitalization and utilization of emergency department visits. Federal policies should support access to these technologies.”
“In the CY 2026 HH PPS proposed rule, CMS proposes a new and untested payment model for CGMs and durable insulin pumps while also proposing to include these devices in the competitive bidding program,” they continued. “We are concerned that by shifting responsibilities for maintenance, education and training from CGM and insulin pump manufacturers to suppliers, CMS’ proposal would both decrease patient access and choice to this critical technology and hinder technological innovation. We also are concerned that these proposed policies will have the unintended consequence of reducing choices for CGM or durable insulin pump beneficiaries.”
“Given these concerns, we urge CMS to not finalize these proposals. As we have stated in past communications to the agency, we believe it is more appropriate for CMS to reform coverage policies for these technologies in alignment with the latest clinical evidence and support streamlined access,” the lawmakers concluded.
The complete text of the letter can be read here.
As co-chairs of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, Senators Collins and Shaheen have long worked to improve care and lower costs for Americans living with diabetes. Their bipartisan Improving Needed Safeguards for Users of Lifesaving Insulin Now (INSULIN) Act would comprehensively address the soaring cost of insulin, removing barriers to care and making it more accessible for millions more Americans. The Senators have also pushed for passage of their bicameral, bipartisan Strengthening Collective Resources for Encouraging Education Needed (SCREEN) for Type 1 Diabetes Act, to improve early detection and screening for type 1 diabetes.
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