Medicare expands free diabetes education, removes copays for beneficiaries
S. 1925 — Expanding Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training Act of 2025 · Filed by Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Jun 2, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill expands Medicare coverage for diabetes self-management training by guaranteeing 10 initial hours of education (individual or group) plus 2 additional hours annually, with no cost-sharing to beneficiaries, and removes physician-imposed limits on medically necessary services. It also mandates a pilot program testing virtual (online) diabetes training delivery starting January 1, 2026, to measure health outcomes and cost savings.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to expand Medicare coverage and reduce cost-sharing for a specific preventive/management service (diabetes education). It is a straightforward entitlement expansion, not a tax provision, deregulation, or industry carve-out.
What the text implies
- Removal of physician-imposed quantity limits (if deemed medically necessary) could increase utilization and Medicare spending beyond the guaranteed hours, with no explicit budget cap.
- Virtual delivery pilot may shift training from in-person certified educators to web-based programs, potentially affecting employment in diabetes education workforce.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
diabetes education providers and certified diabetes educators; telehealth platforms and digital health vendors; pharmaceutical companies (indirectly, via improved medication adherence)