I received a bill from the Prince George’s County Health Department for my participation in a Diabetes Prevention Program that was not conducted by the Prince George’s County Health Department. Was I billed in error?

Yes.  The diabetes prevention program is a covered health benefit by most health insurance programs.  The Prince George’s County Health Department is an enrolled DPP supplier with many health insurance programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.  To have your participation covered by your health insurance, you must provide the Prince George’s Health Department with a copy of your current health insurance card.

The diabetes prevention program is not offered for free.  The program is covered by most health insurance programs. If you are uninsured, you will incur a fee to participate.  However, if you are low income, we have a sliding scale policy for persons that are at or below Federal Poverty Limits.  If you qualify based on low-income status, you may have a reduction in your fee to participate.  The low-income sliding scale is based on where your total household income falls on the Federal Poverty Limit guidelines.  You can complete a sliding scale program questionnaire to see if you are eligible for a fee reduction based on your household income. If you are not eligible for a fee reduction based on your household income, you will be billed for the full cost of your participation in the Diabetes Prevention Program.

The Prince George’s County Health Department is a local government agency in the State of Maryland.  If you fail to pay your bill, it could be referred to the State of Maryland Office of the Comptroller for collections.  Once your balance is referred to the State of Maryland Office of the Comptroller, for collections, all collections activity must be handled directly with the State of Maryland Office of the Comptroller.

The Prince George’s County Health Department is a local government agency in the State of Maryland.  If you fail to pay your bill, it could be referred to the State of Maryland Office of the Comptroller, for collections.  If your bill is referred to the State of Maryland Office of the Comptroller for collections, you will receive notices from the State of Maryland Office of the Comptroller requesting payment for outstanding balances owed.

Yes. You should contact the Prince George’s County Health Department for any questions regarding your bill.  The contact information for the billing department for the Prince George’s County Health Department is located on the bill that you received. 

The Diabetes Prevention Program was previously a grant funded program that was offered free to community participants.  The program is no longer offered as a free program since the services are not fully funded by a grant.  However, the program is now covered by most health insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid.   There is a fee to participate which may be covered by applicable health insurance. 

The Prince George’s County Health Department is a recognized Umbrella Hub for the Diabetes Prevention Program by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  As a CDC-Recognized Umbrella Hub, the Prince George’s County Health Department can enroll subsidiary suppliers to deliver the diabetes prevention program.   There are several organizations that have joined the Prince George’s County Health Department Umbrella Hub, which allows those organizations to deliver the diabetes prevention program with the support and approval of the Prince George’s County Health Department.

The diabetes prevention program is not a free program.  However, it is covered by most health insurances plans.  If your health insurance plan does not cover the cost of your participation in the Diabetes Prevention Program, you are responsible to pay the full fee for your participation.  However, some persons that are low income may be eligible for a reduction in the fee for participating, based on their household income.  You can apply for a reduction in your fee, based on our sliding scale policy.  A fee reduction is not guaranteed because any fee reduction is dependent on your household income in comparison to the current Federal Poverty Limits.  If you do not qualify for a reduction in your fee to participate, based on your household income, you will be billed for the full cost of your participation. 

The Prince George’s County Health Department is a CDC-Recognized Umbrella Hub for the Diabetes Prevention Program. As such, it can enroll subsidiary suppliers to deliver the program. These suppliers, approved to render diabetes prevention programs on behalf of the Health Department, do not need to be located in Prince George’s County or part of its government. However, all services are billed under the Prince George’s County Government. Additionally, each subsidiary supplier has a current contract agreement with the Health Department to deliver services with its support.

PreventionLink formed PreventionLink IMPACT’s umbrella hub to serve community-based organizations to improve health outcomes in local communities. The continuous rise of diabetes cases in the United States poses a significant threat to public health, hence the need for a collaborative effort to this health crisis.