Worse Diabetes Outcomes Seen for Adults With Unreliable Insurance

MONDAY, March 23, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Low-income adults with diabetes who lose insurance coverage have worse diabetes outcomes, including higher prevalence of uncontrolled hemoglobin A1c and acute complications, according to a research letter published online March 20 in JAMA Health Forum.Nathalie Huguet, Ph.D., from the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and colleagues examined the association between losing insurance and diabetes outcomes among people served by community health centers, most of whom have incomes at or near the federal poverty level. The study included 39,144 patients: 5,557 in the "churn" group, defined as having two or more consecutive uninsured visits to capture sustained coverage loss, and 33,587 in the "nonchurn" group, defined as every visit insured or a single uninsured visit.The researchers found that during follow-up, the churn group experienced significantly worse outcomes, including a higher prevalence of uncontrolled hemoglobin A1c, acute complications, and insulin prescriptions (pre-post differences between churn and nonchurn groups, 4.0, 3.0, and 2.2 percent, respectively)."People without insurance are more likely to end up in the emergency department," Huguet said in a statement. "That can lead to life-changing outcomes, like amputations, and it ultimately costs more for patients and the entire health system."Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Worse Diabetes Outcomes Seen for Adults With Unreliable Insurance

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