HealthMine Survey: 83% of Americans Don't Know Their Blood Sugar Level, Contributing to a $322 Billion Bill for Diabetes Each Year

DALLAS, Aug. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- 83% of consumers do not know their blood-glucose level, according to a HealthMine survey of 561 consumers. The cost of ignorance about diabetes is colossal, adding up to $322 billion per year according to the American Diabetes Association.  That figure includes loss of productivity due to illness and disability. That means consumers -- even those who are healthy--are each paying $1,000 a year for diabetes.

While 29 million Americans have diabetes, 8 million -- more than a quarter -- are unaware of their condition. What's more, 86 million Americans (more than one out of three) have pre-diabetes -- or above normal blood-glucose levels that, left untreated, cause a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Although pre-diabetes is preventable and treatable, nine out of ten people with pre-diabetes do not know they have it.

Bryce Williams, CEO and President of HealthMine said, "When it comes to basic biometrics, in America, we are often ignorant, and knowledge equals money in your pocket. Knowing your blood sugar level is the first step to lowering your risk." He continued, "Eating healthy, being active and not smoking could prevent 80% of type 2 diabetes*. Wellness programs can be the lighthouse to detect those who are at risk and steer them out of danger."

In one plan alone, HealthMine has helped to identify over 7,200 people with pre-diabetes in a population of 120,000, using the company's Personal Clinical Engagement (PCE) Platform.  HealthMine's PCE applies a rule-based system with 3,300 clinical criteria, and 44,000 diagnostic codes to individually check for at-risk members across 11 disease states. Members are then provided a dynamic, personalized, clinically based health action plan.

By following preventive health actions including diet modification, weight loss, and smoking cessation, many pre-diabetics can avoid an irreversible diabetes diagnosis.

About the SurveyThe HealthMine Survey queried 561 consumers with wellness plans and was fielded by Survey Sampling International (SSI) in March/April 2015. Data were collected via an opt-in panel. The margin of error is 4%. Survey Sampling International (SSI) has been the Worldwide Leader in Survey Sampling and Data Collection Solutions, across every mode, for 37 Years.

About HealthMine

HealthMine, a leading consumer health engagement company, has developed the wellness industry's first and only Personal Clinical Engagement technology platform. HealthMine empowers individuals to make meaning of their health information by automatically collecting clinical data, identifying risk for chronic disease, and setting health goals. Making it easy for consumers to manage their own health, HealthMine provides a personalized health portal available on any device, and delivers tailored recommendations, resources and incentives.  HealthMine has more than one million users, and has saved employers and payers more than $100 million in healthcare costs. The company, founded in 2008, is based in Dallas, Texas with offices in San Francisco, New York and Minneapolis.

*Source: Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease

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SOURCE HealthMine, Inc.