Capital Blue Cross, Other Payers Are Looking to Lower Costs Related to Diabetes

Since implementing diabetes-related programs in 2021, Capital Blue Cross said it has saved its members and their employers nearly $6 million in health care costs. Meanwhile, Humana Inc. has launched a diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) program through its CenterWell Home Health subsidiary that has seen an uptick in usage among health plans. The initiatives are part of a growing trend among payers that recognize the health burden and huge costs associated with diabetes. 

Kelly Brennan, Capital Blue Cross’s senior director of Health Promotion and Wellness, tells AIS Health that the insurer’s beneficiaries with diabetes often have other chronic conditions, “which can be expensive to manage, both for our members and for business leaders who rely upon us to provide strategic solutions that curb health care spending and ensure their employees can be their healthiest.”