By Jim McGowan
Minnesota director
Medicare Diabetes Screening Project

Medicare covers screening for diabetes and pre-diabetes.

Could you be one of the estimated 284,000 seniors in Minnesota who have undiagnosed diabetes or pre-diabetes? Millions of Americans are not getting the treatment they need to prevent heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations. Millions more may be missing a chance to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes.

The Medicare Diabetes Screening Project has been formed to find the undiagnosed. The project is working to inform Medicare recipients over 65 that they may be eligible for a free, annual screening test. There is no co-payment or deductible required.

The test is available once per year for beneficiaries 65 years of age or older with any one of the following risk factors:

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Dyslipidemia (high cholesterol)
• Obesity or overweight 
• Family history of diabetes
• History of gestational diabetes or giving birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds

If you learn that you have pre-diabetes, you can get another free test for diabetes six months later. And if you lose a little weight, and get more physical activity, you can greatly increase your chances of preventing diabetes.

It has been shown that lifestyle interventions (diet and moderate exercise) for those with pre-diabetes can reduce the development of diabetes by 58 percent. In addition, people age 60 and older with pre-diabetes can lower their risk of developing diabetes by 71 percent - by walking 30 minutes five days a week and losing a small amount of weight (about 4-7 percent).

Prevention and detection of diabetes is very important, because it gives people the chance to reduce the consequences of untreated diabetes.

If you qualify, let your doctor know that you would like to receive the free screening at your next visit.

For more information, go to www.screenfordiabetes.org/.