Senator Blanche Lincoln – Arkansas – We can't afford not to cure diabetes

The work of Children's Congress is critically important for those living with diabetes and for our nation as a whole. Diabetes research funding and prevention is a matter of concern for all individuals, not only because of the personal challenges those living with diabetes face but also because of the effects associated with the disease on our country's health care costs.

The annual health care costs for a person with diabetes are 2.4 times higher than for a non-diabetic individual. Unfortunately, one of every three Americans born in the year 2000 is predicted to develop some form of diabetes during his or her lifetime. The total costs of diabetes are expected to climb to as much as $192 billion per year by 2020. The stories of Children's Congress, recited so eloquently by the delegates, transcend these statistics. By helping lawmakers to understand the personal toll this disease takes, these stories are critical to our efforts to ensuring that diabetes research is properly funded.

As Co-Chair of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, I have worked to build support for diabetes funding issues as well as continuous glucose monitoring technologies. Our nation's economy and health care system will continue to face challenges without substantial changes in prevention and treatment of this disease. I congratulate the Children's Congress for its critical work and wish the delegates and their families much success in their continuing efforts.

To learn more about Sen. Lincoln, please visit her website at www.lincoln.senate.gov.