Sen. Ossoff Working Across the Aisle to Strengthen Early Diabetes Detection Across Georgia

Atlanta, Ga. - This Diabetes Awareness month, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working across the aisle to strengthen early diabetes detection across Georgia.

Sen. Ossoff is working to pass the bipartisan SCREEN for Type 1 Diabetes Act to establish a Type 1 Diabetes public awareness campaign and urge people to get screened.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), type 1 diabetes can occur in all ages but is the most common type of diabetes in children.

The bipartisan bill, first introduced by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME), would direct the CDC to carry out a national campaign to increase awareness and knowledge of type 1 diabetes detection, screening, and management.

"Too many Georgians suffering from Type 1 Diabetes face life-threatening complications simply because the disease is caught too late," Sen. Ossoff said. "This is why I'm working across the aisle to strengthen early detection and ensure better health outcomes for families across our state."

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, between 2014 and 2018, diabetes was the cause of 104,098 hospitalizations and 154,761 ER visits in Georgia.

Sen. Ossoff continues working to increase Georgians' access to lifesaving health care.

In a May U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Ossoff called out the abusive practices of pharmaceutical companies who are using unfair practices to reduce generic medicine competition and hike prices, forcing Georgia families to pay exorbitant prices for life-saving medicine.

Last year, Sen. Ossoff helped pushed a package of bipartisan bills through the Senate Judiciary Committee to bring down prescription drug costs and improve transparency in the pharmaceutical industry.

In 2022, Sen. Ossoff successfully passed provisions into law that capped the out-of-pocket cost of insulin for seniors on Medicare at $35 per month.

Click here to read the SCREEN for Type 1 Diabetes Act.

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