House and Senate leaders Susan Collins, Jeanne Shaheen, Tom Reed, and Diana DeGette recently sent a letter to Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), urging Medicare to allow its beneficiaries to use CGM smartphone apps.

We’re hopeful that this letter will help reverse CMS’ decision to prohibit CGM users on Medicare from using their devices with the associated smartphone app. This stipulation has been affecting people with diabetes since last March, when Medicare started covering therapeutic CGM (Dexcom G5 and Abbott’s FreeStyle Libre). According to the coverage policy, Medicare will not cover CGM supplies if a smartphone is used to view the data, and Dexcom has had to disable the app communication for G5 users on Medicare.

The letter emphasizes why smartphone use is critical – it allows people using CGM to share data, alerts, and alarms with their loved ones and caregivers, and expands accessibility for blind or low-vision people with diabetes. These features are crucial for safety and convenience.

They highlight, “As innovators continue to rapidly develop technologies that help individuals with diabetes manage their condition, we urge CMS to ensure that its Medicare coverage policies encourage, rather than discourage, the highest quality care and maximum accessibility.”