As we close the book on 2010 and prepare ourselves for the 2011 legislative year and the start of the restructured 112th Congress we wanted to take a look back at what has been accomplished and where AADE is heading.

What the AADE Advocacy network has accomplished:

• The CDE provision was included in the House version of the Healthcare Reform Package as well as the Senate Finance Committee’s (SFC) version. Although the language was omitted from the final 'merged' bill between SFC and the Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee we cannot view this as a failure. This was the first time our language was included in any bill of this size and importance. The language was not omitted due to any policy concerns or opposition to the provision by any Senator but simply an assumption, by some, that the provision may not be essential to the provision of DSMT care. But thanks to your hard work and persistence we are poised to dispel these assumptions in the new Congress.
• AADE commissioned Dobson DaVanzo & Associates, LLC (Dobson | DaVanzo) to create a cost estimate of H.R. 2425 over the ten year period from 2011 through 2020 using Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scoring methodology. One of the major obstacles we faced with getting support for the legislation was proving its cost effectiveness. This study showed Members of Congress that the legislation was budget neutral and further proved it to be a necessary to designate Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs) as providers of Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT) under the Medicare program.
• In an effort to gain recognition of the qualified diabetes educator, AADE embarked on a diabetes educator state licensure initiative. Legislation (H.B. 490) was introduced in the state of Kentucky requiring licensure to provide diabetes education. The bill, in its first attempt, passed the Kentucky state House 96 – 0 but was derailed before reaching the state Senate by an exhausted budget battle that lasted till the closing minutes of the 2010 state legislative session. Read More