Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson Supports Finding a Cure for Diabetes

When asked in the July 23rd Democratic Presidential Debate what he would do to keep entitlement programs such as Medicare from going broke, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson replied:


Here's the transcript:

QUESTION: What's the dirtiest little secret in Washington? The U.S. is going broke. With the retirement of the baby boomers, things are only going to get worse. Fed Chairman Bernanke has said Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security need to be radically changed to avoid this crisis, yet everything is business as usual in D.C.

There are two solutions, both of which are politically unpopular: Raise taxes or cut benefits. Which would you choose, and how would you convince the public to support you?

COOPER: Governor Richardson?

RICHARDSON: The best solution to those two issues is a bipartisan effort to fix it.

Medicare - 33 percent of it is diabetes. Let's have major prevention programs, and also ways that we can ensure that we find a cure.

Is that true? Does diabetes account for a third of Medicare spending? Apparently, yes. The Department of Health and Human Services states:

"About 18 percent of Medicare beneficiaries have diabetes, yet they account for 32 percent of Medicare spending."
- US Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services

It's certainly worth finding a cure!________