Protecting Patient Choice in Diabetes Technology: Joint Statement on CMS Proposed Rule
July 3, 2025
The Diabetes Leadership Council (DLC) and Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC) are deeply concerned about the proposed rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to include continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps in the Competitive Bidding Program (CBP)under Medicare. While we support lowering out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries, we urge caution to ensure this does not come at the expense of patient choice and access to individualized care.
Diabetes is a complex, highly personalized condition—what works for one person may not work for another. Studies show that previous attempts to do this through the CBP led to a narrowing of patients’ ability to access the diabetes devices that work best for them, undermining treatment adherence leading to poor health outcomes and increased mortality. We cannot afford to repeat those mistakes.
We appreciate CMS for recognizing the importance of patient choice by proposing changes that would allow individuals to switch devices more frequently than every five years. However, the reduction of suppliers—along with other unintended consequences of the proposal, such as disincentivizing innovation—may disrupt patient access and limit choice. DLC’s recent white paper, Diabetes Management is Not One-Size-Fits-All, highlights the crucial role of patient choice and the real-world barriers patients face in accessing the technologies that keep them healthy and independent. Evidence consistently shows that when people are empowered to use the device that best fits their lifestyle and medical needs, health outcomes improve.
The best device for a person with diabetes is the one they will use. Limiting those options risks disrupting disease management, increasing complications, and driving up long-term care costs. We will be watching closely when CMS releases additional details about the upcoming CBP and will been gaging with CMS through every step of the process to prevent any disruption to patient choice and access.