Reports: Insurers, employers support YMCA diabetes program

NEW YORK — The YMCA is sponsoring a diabetes-control program that some say could slow the disease's spread, according to published reports.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the program has been shown in research to potentially reduce the incidence of the disease through a combination of exercise, dieting and individual counseling. The research has led employers and insurers to provide funding for the program and enroll participants, including UnitedHealth Group; the Y receives reimbursement for people enrolling people in a year-long diabetes prevention course, and receives more money if patients lose 5% to 7% of body weight.

In June 2012, the nonprofit group received a Health Care Innovation Award of nearly $12 million over three years from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to conduct a demonstration project in 17 communities around the country to deliver the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program to 10,000 Medicare enrollees.

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