# A Multi-Level Evaluation of California's New Medicaid Coverage for the Diabetes Prevention Program

> **NIH NIH R18** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2020 · $609,553

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) helps patients with prediabetes initiate lifestyle changes and delay or
prevent T2DM. However, the DPP has been most successful in middle-class populations. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-supported National Diabetes Prevention Program achieved widespread
implementation but had limited reach and effectiveness in low-income communities. In a major step forward,
California has mandated in Senate Bill 97 that as of January 1, 2019, all eligible Medicaid (e.g., Medi-Cal)
beneficiaries who want to enroll in the DPP must be provided this opportunity. The outcomes of SB 97 will
have major implications on diabetes prevention for Medicaid beneficiaries not only in California but also across
the US. We are proposing an evaluation of SB 97 using data from Kaiser Permanente Northern California
(KPNC) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Using advanced analytic approaches, we will
evaluate the effects of this natural experiment on clinical outcomes. We will also collect important contextual
primary data from the 43 CDC-recognized or pending DPP suppliers in California, and from both DPP lifestyle
coaches and DPP participants.
Our Specific Aims are as follows: 1) To determine the effectiveness of SB 97 and mandated Medi-Cal DPP
coverage on change in body weight (primary outcome), systolic blood pressure (SBP), uptake of the DPP in-
person or online, and projected future cost savings (all secondary outcomes) among Medi-Cal beneficiaries
with prediabetes at KPNC and UCLA, versus a comparison cohort of patients with insurance coverage from the
California Health Insurance Exchange (HIE). 2) To characterize perspectives from leaders of CDC-recognized
DPP suppliers including decisions about providing DPP to Medi-Cal beneficiaries, such as their processes of
identifying the target population, raising awareness of and promoting the DPP, and recruiting and enrolling
eligible participants. 3) To characterize perspectives of Medi-Cal DPP participants and DPP lifestyle coaches
on facilitators and barriers to participant retention and engagement. Our team includes a collaborative group of
health services researchers, a statistician, and a health economist with experience in program evaluation and
outcomes research, who have a longstanding working relationship. If funded, we are well positioned and ready
to initiate the proposed policy evaluation in the post-enactment period.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10049205
- **Project number:** 1R18DK122372-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** OBIDIUGWU KENRIK DURU
- **Activity code:** R18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $609,553
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-27 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10049205

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10049205, A Multi-Level Evaluation of California's New Medicaid Coverage for the Diabetes Prevention Program (1R18DK122372-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10049205. Licensed CC0.

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