National Diabetes Month Proclamation, 2024

Increasing Awareness in National Diabetes Month

With 38 million Americans, approximately 1 in 10, suffering from diabetes, November’s National Diabetes Month is a time to promote diabetes prevention and management strategies, improve treatment accessibility, and boost efforts to find cures.

Diabetes imposes a significant physical and economic burden on many Americans. High treatment costs, including insulin prices that can exceed $300 per vial, force some to ration their medication, jeopardizing their health. This situation, where drug companies profit while Americans struggle with high medical costs, needs change.

Healthcare Reforms and Lowering Insulin Costs

Since taking office, my administration has strived to make healthcare a right, not a privilege. We tackled Big Pharma and emerged victoriously. The Inflation Reduction Act, which capped the insulin cost at $35 for Medicare recipients, was signed. The largest U.S. insulin manufacturer responded by reducing their price to $35 per month for all. The Act also enables Medicare to negotiate lower drug costs, saving seniors up to $618 per dose. From 2025, it will limit total out-of-pocket drug expenses at $2,000 annually for those on Medicare.

Advancing Diabetes Research and Healthy Lifestyles

We’re investing heavily in diabetes prevention, detection, and treatment. We’ve allocated $4 billion to the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health for groundbreaking research in diseases like diabetes. We’ve had incredible advancements in diabetes drugs, including innovative cell therapies and new oral medications. We understand the importance of good nutrition and exercise in reducing the impact of Type 2 diabetes, which led us to introduce new school meal standards and launch initiatives to end hunger and reduce diet-related diseases like diabetes.

Prediabetes and Prevention

Many of the 84 million Americans with prediabetes are at risk of developing full-blown diabetes within five years. Poor nutrition and lack of physical activity are often key risk factors. To learn more about prediabetes and prevention strategies, visit the CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program.

Recommitment to Diabetes Awareness and Care

In observing National Diabetes Month, we applaud the resilience of those living with diabetes and express gratitude towards the healthcare professionals and advocates supporting them. We pledge to improve care and move closer to finding cures.

Thus, I proclaim November 2024 as National Diabetes Month. I urge everyone to participate in activities that increase diabetes awareness and help prevent, manage, and treat this disease.

Signed this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, by JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America.