People with diabetes cost the state’s Medicaid program twice as much as those without the chronic condition, a study commissioned by the society that represents Maryland’s doctors has foundMedicaid spent an average of $24,387 on each patient with diabetes in 2014, compared with $10,880 for someone without the disease, according to the study commissioned by MedChi and conducted by the Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and released Thursday. There were similar findings among enrollees in 2013, according to the study of adults ages 35 to 64.

Such spending adds up to hundreds of millions of dollars annually. HealthChoice, which manages care for the bulk of the state’s Medicaid patients, spent more than $471 million treating people with diabetes in 2014 for hospitalizations, doctor visits and prescriptions, and more than $312 million in 2013. Diabetes occurs in people who do not produce enough insulin or do not process it correctly, causing an increase in blood sugar. It …
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In Maryland, diabetics cost Medicaid twice as much, study finds … – Baltimore Sun (blog)