{"id":26738,"date":"2012-04-24T08:17:55","date_gmt":"2012-04-24T12:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=26738"},"modified":"2015-12-27T15:47:05","modified_gmt":"2015-12-27T20:47:05","slug":"punishing-the-hungary-diabetics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=26738","title":{"rendered":"Punishing the \u2018Hungary\u2019 Diabetics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week when I went to the diabetes clinic expecting to be scolded<\/a> for my numbers, the nutritionist told me jokingly that they only beat patients with an A1c of over 8%.\u00a0 The idea of punishing people for their blood test results might be a funny idea, but one you would expect to hear of in a Monty Python skit (yes, I guess I\u2019m old), not read about in the news.<\/p>\n

Apparently, though, the Hungarian health authorities think otherwise and have decided to try to reduce the growing healthcare spending on diabetes by punishing those who \u201cfail\u201d their A1c tests<\/a>. \u00a0Starting in July diabetes patients who do not achieve desirable levels on their blood tests (on 2 out of 4 tests a year) will no longer be prescribed analog insulin and instead will be given less efficient human insulin. (This announcement comes on the heels of the ADA\u2019s announcement<\/a> that there is no A1c number that\u2019s right for everyone.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Although there is no mention of types of diabetics who will be punished, it is safe to assume the new decree is part of the battle against the type 2 diabetes epidemic, and does not include type 1\u2019s, although I am not certain of this.<\/p>\n

According to the report, there are 500,000 people with diabetes in Hungary (out of a population of a little under 10 million), who cost the country an approximate 131 million dollars a year in healthcare costs. \u00a0<\/p>\n

The rational behind the new decree is that \u201cTaxpayers’ money should not be spent on patients who don’t cooperate with their doctor.\u201d \u00a0According to the article a large majority of people with diabetes in Hungary are Hungry (sorry I just had to): only 30% of patients comply with the diet prescribed to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This of course is not surprising since the diabetes epidemic is part of the obesity epidemic plaguing the globe. \u00a0The idea, though, that punishing people for overeating is going to do any good is totally ridiculous.\u00a0 As if anyone has ever stopped someone from eating, smoking or drinking by punishing him\u2026 But even more ridiculous is the idea that giving a patient a less effective insulin is punishing anyone but the healthcare system itself that will have to deal with the expense of complications later.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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