If you’ve been looking for a good reason to get hot and bothered about the state of America’s healthcare system, look no further. While The New York Times’ current series on diabetes is occasionally redundant, today’s article illuminates the stark realities of insurance coverage for diabetics.  As insurers refuse to pay the costs of preventative care, such as nutritional counseling or podiatry appointments, diabetics — predominantly poor populations and /or racial and ethnic minorities — are left to flounder until the gravity of their disease requires amputations or other drastic surgeries. As Dr. Bernstein of Beth Israel Hospital stated, “Until we address the financing and the reimbursement structure, this disease is going to rage out of control.”

As the Times reports, diabetes is already out of control. Without preventative care, the epidemic crippling America’s poor will become a plague.

llouison