Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced legislation reauthorizing the Special Diabetes Program (SDP). Similar to the legislation that was introduced in the House, this bill would reauthorize both components of SDP through December 2025. The first component of SDP, the Special Diabetes Program for Type 1, advances important research for type 1 diabetes at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders (NIDDK) at NIH. The second component, the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI), is administered by the Indian Health Service (IHS) and provides treatment and education programs for people with type 2 diabetes amongst American Indian and Alaska natives (AI/AN). This legislation would reauthorize both components for two years at $170 million per-program per-year, a 13% increase compared to current funding.
We thank our members who participated in our Hill Day and online campaign encouraging Congress to take action. The Endocrine Society worked closely with Senator Collins and Senator Shaheen prior to the bill's introduction. Dr. Robert Lash, Chief Medical Officer at the Endocrine Society, also provided a quote for Senator Collins’ press release announcing the introduction of the legislation.
We encourage all members to join our online advocacy campaign urging Congress to pass this legislation before SDP funding expires on September 30. Take action today!
The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates, which is the legislative and policy-making body of the American Medical Association, is meeting June 9 – 14 to consider changes to AMA policy. The Endocrine Society has two voting members in the House of Delegates and this year Drs. Mandy Bell and Daniel Spratt will represent the Society at the meeting in Chicago.
During the meeting, the Endocrine Society will lead a historic effort to protect access to gender-affirming care. The Society will introduce a resolution to strengthen the AMA’s existing policy on medical care for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals. The American Association for Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) will also support the resolution being offered by the Society. The resolution calls on the AMA to:
The Endocrine Society advocates on behalf of our members who care for TGD individuals to ensure that they can provide evidence-based and medically necessary care. We are proposing this resolution in response to the growing number of states that have introduced or passed bills that ban gender-affirming care and criminalize physicians who provide it. As these attacks on access to gender-affirming care escalate, the entire medical community must vocalize its support for and recognize the necessity of caring for TGD individuals.
The Society will also have an opportunity to weigh in on several other issues affecting endocrinology, including insulin affordability, telehealth, physician reimbursement, hormone therapy, and access to reproductive care. We will report back to our members about the outcomes of this meeting.
A federal judge in Florida ruled to allow three transgender minors to receive puberty blockers, even though the state had previously banned gender-affirming care for minors. The Endocrine Society joined with several other leading medical, mental health, and health care organizations to submit an amicus “Friend of the Court” brief to the Court hearing this case. In our brief, we explained our evidence-based guideline for treating individuals, including minors, for gender dysphoria/gender incongruence. The Judge cited several points from our brief in his ruling, reflecting how our brief and medical evidence informed the Judge’s thinking.
Though the Judge appears to have framed his order to apply specifically to the three minors whose care was at issue, as well as their parents and healthcare providers, we suspect the ruling will deter broader efforts to enforce the challenged statutes and rules. His ruling also will influence an upcoming Florida case involving banning gender-affirming care in the state’s Medicaid program. We will keep members apprised of any further updates regarding this case and other cases to which we are amici.
We rely on your voice to advocate for our policy priorities. Join us to show our strength as a community that cares about endocrinology. Contact your U.S representatives or European Members of Parliament through our online platform. Take action and make a difference today.