Diabetes: preventable killer sends health care costs sky-high

The World

A major part of the health care legislation that President Obama is expected to sign into law today focuses on cutting the skyrocketing costs of medical care. People with chronic diseases put a particular burden on medical services, and policy analysts say that getting better access to preventative care can drive down health care costs.

But getting earlier care can be challenging. We take a look at this issue by focusing on the preventable Type 2 diabetes. We speak with John Salazar, a resident of Ecourse, Mich., who has struggled with diabetes for 18 years, and with Dr. Anne Peters, the Director of the Clinical Diabetes Program at the University of Southern California, who likens diabetes to a cancer than can be cured.

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