YMCA of Greater Seattle Becomes First Organization in Washington State to offer New Medicare Benefit for Diabetes Prevention 

Seattle, July 19, 2018 - Washington residents with Medicare coverage are now eligible for free enrollment in the YMCA of Greater Seattle’s Diabetes Prevention Program with no co-payments.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently expanded its coverage to include diabetes prevention as a covered benefit for Medicare members. The YMCA of Greater Seattle is Washington State’s first diabetes prevention program provider to be approved by CMS and is now accepting program participants.

The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program is evidence-based and has been shown to reduce risk for diabetes in adults 60 years and older by 71%. The program consists of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) approved curriculum and helps participants learn how to make small, sustainable changes to lower their risk of developing diabetes. By the end of January 2018, the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program has served over 58,000 participants at nearly 1,700 sites in 46 states across the country.

The program takes place in a supportive, small group environment with participants working together to learn about healthier eating, physical activity, reducing stress, and other lifestyle changes. The goals of the program are to help participants lose a modest amount of weight (5-7%) of their starting body weight and increase their physical activity to 150 minutes per week. The program is offered at various locations across Washington State. In Seattle, the program can be offered in Spanish, Somali, braille and American Sign Language.

Brie Davis, Director, Membership and Healthy Living, YMCA of Greater Seattle, said, “It’s fantastic news that Medicare has expanded its coverage to include diabetes prevention. Taking small, manageable steps to prevent diabetes can be lifesaving and often is significantly simpler and less expensive than treating diabetes itself.” She added that, “research by the National Institute of Health has shown that programs like the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program can reduce the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes by 58%, and 71% in adults over the age of 60.” “This is a major milestone,” said Janna Bardi, Assistant Secretary, Prevention & Community Health, Washington State Department of Health. “Currently, more than 690,000 Washingtonians age 18 or older live with diabetes, and nearly 2 million people in the state of Washington have prediabetes. This exciting program has the potential to prevent and delay at least half of the new cases of type 2 diabetes. We’ve been working with Diabetes Prevention Program providers like the YMCA of Greater Seattle for the past 10 years, and we look forward to more Diabetes Prevention Program providers coming on board across the state soon.”

Classes are open to all adults but fees may apply depending on the insurance status of the individual. To learn more about this new Medicare benefit, contact the YMCA of Greater Seattle’s Diabetes Prevention Program team at 1 833 407 1188 or chronicdiseaseprevention@seattleymca.org. Individuals who think they may have diabetes or be at risk for the disease should contact their healthcare provider.

About the YMCA of Greater Seattle 

The YMCA of Greater Seattle is the Northwest’s leading nonprofit organization strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The YMCA of Greater Seattle is a leader in community integrated health which aims to intentionally strengthen the relationships between traditional healthcare systems and community based organizations in order to help all community members live their healthiest lives. Visit seattleymca.org.