Celebrated singer and this year’s Super Bowl sensation Usher Raymond visited Capitol Hill on June 12, where he met with legislators to discuss diabetes and the rising costs of insulin.
“Really great to be able to be here in the city today, be able to share my story,” Raymond told reporters, as he donned a tan suit, resurrecting former President Barack Obama’s unforgettable tan suit fashion moment in history in August 2014.
The celebrity, who met with Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (D-Fla.), has been very open about his experience raising a child with Type 1 diabetes.
“Today, just talking about Type 1 diabetes and early screening for Type 1 diabetes,” Raymond explained.
According to the National Institute of Health, Black youth with Type 1 diabetes have higher rates of hospital admissions for diabetic ketoacidosis and early mortality. The issue has been a topic of discussion for the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, whose co-chairs reintroduced the PREVENT DIABETES Act in April.
“Our bill makes CDC-recognized diabetes prevention programs more accessible to Medicare beneficiaries at risk of diabetes, particularly those in rural areas and others who may not be able to attend an in-person diabetes prevention program,” said DeGette. “With a growing number of patients opting for virtual care, our PREVENT DIABETES Act will help more Americans learn about how they can avoid this disease.”
Diabetes was the eighth-leading cause of death in the United States in recent years. According to lawmakers, the disease costs the United States $412.9 billion every year in direct and indirect costs.
In March, Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) proposed legislation that would cap the price of insulin at $35 for everyone on private insurance, and would also extend that discount to the uninsured.
“As a pastor who has sat in waiting rooms with families and prayed at bedsides, I know the human costs of unmanaged diabetes,” Warnock said in an interview with The Hill. “I’ve been there and prayed with people when they got the news that their loved one has to get an amputation. So there is the financial cost and there’s the human cost of all of this.”
All parties involved are committed to furthering awareness about the efforts to ease the burden on diabetics in the coming months.
“Not my first time, won’t be my last time coming back,” Raymond declared.
