Capital Blue Cross Members are Benefiting from Diabetes Management and Prevention Programs

Using Capital’s programs, members have lost weight, lowered their blood sugar levels, reduced their medications, and collectively saved nearly $6 million in healthcare costs.

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Members of Capital Blue Cross at risk of diabetes, or who are currently living with it, are seeing effective results through the insurer’s free and convenient management, prevention and reversal programs.

Using Capital’s programs, members have lost weight, lowered their blood sugar levels, reduced their medications, and collectively saved nearly $6 million in healthcare costs.

In 2021, Capital became the first Pennsylvania health insurer to offer a unique program that works to reverse the effects of type 2 diabetes, according to a release by Capital. They then began offering a separate program that helps members reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and helps those with types 1 or 2 manage their disease.

Eligible members can enroll into these programs through Virta and Omada Health tools under Capital. The programs are personalized for Capital members offering one-on-one health coaching, medical tools, community support, activity tracking and more.

The programs are mostly operated and managed through an easy-to-use app on your smartphone or tablet – at no additional cost.

Some key results from the programs include:

• Capital members using the diabetes control program collectively lost more than 26,000 pounds in 2022.
• Capital members using the diabetes reversal program saw their A1c levels drop by more than a full point on average in just the first 90 days. Higher A1c levels are linked to diabetes complications.
• On average, Capital members also were able to reduce prescription medications by about 45% in the first 90 days of using the diabetes reversal strategy.
• Combined, the diabetes control programs already have helped Capital customers save nearly $6 million collectively, and an average engaged member can save $1,800 to $2,000 annually.

The CDC shared about one-third of Americans will develop diabetes sometime in their life. This chronic disease can cause severe health problems, damage vital organs, and shorten life expectancy.

Diabetes is also the most expensive chronic condition in our nation. The disease costs the U.S. nearly $330 billion a year, including $90 billion in lost productivity in the workplace.

Today, more than 37 million people of all ages have diabetes. Roughly, 96 million adults have prediabetes — this includes 1 in 5 adolescents aged 12 to 18 and 1 in 4 young adults aged 19 to 34.

According to the release, Capital reaches out to high-risk members with prediabetes and diabetes to provide care management opportunities and offers multiple programs to employer groups, including a diabetes presentation, an awareness toolkit, and Take Charge – a virtual, self-paced course that helps participants develop lifestyle habits to help control diabetes.

For those who want a more personalized experience, Capital offers one-on-one consultations at any of our five Capital Blue Cross Connect health and wellness centers.