The Affordable Care Act and Diabetes Diagnosis and Care: Exploring the Potential Impacts

This article reviews available data on the implications of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for the diagnosis and care of type 2 diabetes. We provide a general overview of the major issues for diabetes diagnosis and care, and describe the policies in the ACA that affect diabetes diagnosis and care. We also estimate that approximately 2.3 million of the 4.6 million people in the USA with undiagnosed diabetes aged 18-64 in 2009-2010 may have gained access to free preventive care under the ACA, which could increase diabetes detection. In addition, we note two factors that may limit the success of the ACA for improving access to diabetes care. First, many states with the highest diabetes prevalence have not expanded Medicaid eligibility, and second, primary care providers may not adequately meet the increase in Medicaid patients because federal funding to increase provider reimbursement for Medicaid visits recently expired. We close by discussing current gaps in the literature and future directions for research on the ACA's impact on diabetes diagnosis, care, and health outcomes.