5 steps to becoming a diabetes-friendly workplace & offering vital healthcare coverage

Do you provide a diabetes-friendly workplace?

You probably know someone at your company who has diabetes. But there are probably even more employees you aren’t aware of because they’re hiding it or they haven’t been diagnosed.

In fact, more than 37.3 million U.S. adults have diabetes, and 23%  (8.5 million) don’t know they have it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Diabetes Statistics Report.

It’s the No. 1 cause of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations and adult blindness, and the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.

And in the last 20 years, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled, reports the CDC.

Healthcare costs

When you take all these statistics to heart and think about the toll it takes on employees’ health, the cost of providing healthcare coverage must be considered, too.

That may seem like an insensitive statement, but it’s not. Businesses exist to make money. What’s insensitive is not caring about employees and helping them be healthier versions of themselves.

Healthier employees mean lower healthcare costs overall.

“Preventing type 2 diabetes and managing diabetes effectively is a smart business move for both you and your employees,” says the CDC.

Diabetes-friendly workplace

So what can employers do to help employees with diabetes?

1. Spread awareness. The more diabetes is talked about and understood, the less self-conscious people with the disease will feel. If people are comfortable in their work environment, they’re more likely to approach HR and managers about what they need from their employer to help manage their diabetes.
2. Educate managers. Consider bringing in a diabetes educator to talk to staff, specifically supervisors and managers, about the various needs employees with diabetes have.
3. Ask employees with diabetes what they need. No two people with diabetes are the same. They have different wants and needs. Some may want to handle it on their own. Others may need extra breaks. The only way you’ll know is to ask them.
4. Offer healthy snack options at work. Candy bars and soda in vending machines aren’t a good option for anyone. So, look for options that offer healthy snacks and beverages.
5. Encourage regular movement breaks. When employees see executives and managers take movement breaks, they’ll be more likely to do the same. And again, moving is good for just about everyone.

Diabetes healthcare coverage

Heathcare coverage is vital to people with diabetes – employees and their dependents. To provide the best coverage you can, The diaTribe Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to improve the lives of people with diabetes, suggests:

• Adding insulin to the preventive drug list. It’s estimated that 7.4 million Americans use insulin to control their type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
• Cover a range of FDA-approved insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). How much insulin a person takes is based on their carbohydrate intake, physical activity and stress levels, plus a few other variables. Having access to insulin pumps and CGMs makes life at work much easier to handle.
• Cover FDA-approved SGLT-2 inhibitors, GLP-1 agonists and DPP-4 inhibitors. These are glucose-lowering medications, and they’re approved for people with type 2 diabetes. The reason you should cover all these medications is that they have different side effects and efficiencies depending on the person. Plus, SGLT-2s and GLP-1s protect against the costly complications of heart and kidney disease. Only covering one or two in each category may force a patient to switch from an optimal medication that is working for them.
• Provide access to mental health coverage. People with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk of developing depression. And depression can make managing diabetes even harder.
• Offer nutrition counseling. While meeting with a dietician can help employees with diabetes manage their blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, it can help all employees do the same and eat healthier.
• Provide the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) as a covered benefit. The DPP is a CDC-recognized lifestyle change program that can help people at risk for diabetes prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
• Offer mobile coaching. These services can help employers prevent and manage diabetes in their employees. They offer health, nutrition, exercise, weight management and mental health support remotely whenever an employee needs it.
• Cover emergency glucagon. It’s vital for people who use insulin for type 1 or type 2 diabetes to have access to glucagon in case of an emergency. Glucagon can save a life during severe hypoglycemia.
• Provide coverage for FDA-approved blood glucose meters, unlimited glucose test strips and all other diabetes supplies. This allows people to check their blood sugar levels whenever they need to without rationing test strips. People with diabetes shouldn’t have to ration any of their supplies because they can’t afford them. Covering diabetes supplies removes these worries and stressors for employees.
• Cover A1C, blood pressure and cholesterol checks, eye screenings, kidney screenings and foot checks. Catching medical problems early can help employees stay healthier and keep healthcare costs lower before the problem requires major medical intervention.