The current system, rests on a precarious and complex (or should I say, chaotic?) relationship between public and private healthcare providers and the insurance industry. Sadly, reform may not be possible until Americans get much, much angrier about how badly they are being let down by the system that's supposed to serve them. A great place to start your reading is the editorial in today's New York Times. Titled "World's Best Medical Care?," it neatly summarizes not just how the US needs to do better, but also describes how badly the US is doing in relation to the rest of the developed world. The key issues: forty-five million uninsured, many more underinsured, and quality of care that varies wildly depending on the size of the patient's wallet.

What about diabetes? Surprise! The news is not good. According to the Times editorial, the US came in last in an eight-country comparison of lives lost to a number of major diseases, one of which being diabetes.

Diabetes Health surveyed women about the effects of diabetes on your sex life and how you overcome the hurdles. Be forewarned, some parts are R-rated, but that's what you came for, right?

Half of the people surveyed say they have difficulty relaxing during sex. Only 19% say that plain awkwardness due to diabetes is more distracting than any physical changes. Dr.Grace Beltran (Amazing Grace) describes the Anatomy of a Female Orgasm quite clearly. She says: sensorial impulses shoot up your spinal cord to special parts of your brain called the sensory cortex and the limbic system (the emotional brain), which is when you experience the euphoria of reaching Mt. Orgasmus. Many diabetes drugs can cause B vitamin insufficiencies and malabsorption (look for "malaise" on the side effects).

56% take no special steps before sex due to diabetes, although 57% of you feel that sex is harder because of diabetes, and 24% of you say that sex is just too difficult because of diabetes. (See Amazing Grace's roadmap to the Anatomy of a Female Orgasm, above).

Durable goods: About 20% of you who wear a pump say it's interfered with sex and gotten tangled up during sex (true), but 27% of you detach your pump before sex. I can see how an insulin pump might get a little cumbersome when gravity and inertia come into play - but that's when your partner really shines.

The Eros-CDT is an appliance for increasing blood flow to the clitoris. 33% of ladies surveyed would ask their doctor about it, but 27% would not use it no matter what. 27% use a vibrator during sex with your partner. Wouldn't an Eros-CDT and a vibrator be one in the same? Let Nationwide Insurance pickup the tab for your Jack Rabbit. A friend told me they are happy to pay for any claim as long as you can prove you own it with the Owners Manual.

About 20% of you have tried Viagra, and it's helped about half of the women who have tried it. 27% of you have noticed numbness in the clitoral area that you attribute to neuropathy. Forget the pills, ladies. Get on the horn with your insurance company and demand the right to clitoral stimulation!!

Finally, it's apparently worse to be old than to be diabetic: 39% of you have found menopause to be a bigger issue than diabetes when it comes to sex. And 80% of you want more articles about how to deal with diabetes-caused sexual problems.

So now we know. Diabetes Health will be running more articles about sex and diabetes, so keep your curiosity piqued and your eyes open - this is the first survey result but it will certainly NOT be the last.

James Hirsch, a type 1 diabetic, agonized when his three-year-old son started showing the symptoms of diabetes. His agony took the form of remarkable brilliance in his book, Cheating Destiny: Living With Diabetes, America's Biggest Epidemic. The book portrays diabetes from the perspective of someone living with the disease. He explains how diabetes is treated in this country, the shortfalls in the governance, both economically and physiologically.

Hirsch, a former reporter for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal asks the editor of a hugely popular web site about the quality of care for diabetes in this country. The response he received: "It stinks." Hirsch details the physical complications that arise from diabetes and health insurance companies' reluctance to fully reimburse relatively low-cost education programs. These programs are designed to prevent the high-cost diagnostic testing and hospital care resulting from diabetes complications. Makes you wonder if it's unintuitive bureaucracy or intuitive capitalistic malfeasance. Don't be silly -- it's nothing personal, it's just business.

Being a person with diabetes is never simple. Hirsch explains, "insulin and food, food and insulin. I imagine them like armies in the night, battling inside a diabetic's body,"..."the battles never produce a winner. The armies simply live to fight another day." Fight the good fight, James. Thank you for sharing your perspective with remarkable brilliance and enlightening reality.

A popular article titled Health Insurance for Diabetics was recently updated to include the latest news and trends that affect more than 25 million diabetics in the U.S. The article summarizes the five ways that diabetics in the U.S. find health insurance and includes links to additional resources for each type of coverage. Many people will be surprised by the rapid pace of change in this area since states implemented a federal law known as HIPAA. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996. It is believed that an entirely new type of limited benefit health insurance known as mini-med policies will eventually become the preferred type of insurance for diabetics and many of the nation's working class.

This article was originally published in 2000 by Medsave.com. The company noticed that diabetics were searching online for insurance alternatives without fully understanding the options and legal framework of the coverage. This led to many people enrolling in health plans that seemed too good to be true - and often turned out to be the case. Some people were victimized by online scams that prey on people who do not qualify for or cannot afford regular health insurance. MedSave.com offers low cost health insurance options but expends much effort educating consumers on the limitations and trade-offs of each option.

Author Tony Novak has covered this topic for six years. He hears from hundreds of diabetics each year and has covered many aspects of this growing niche of the heath care industry. The current situation is causing many people to become frustrated and angry. In some states the existing laws make it practically impossible for a middle income person to afford health insurance. In other states, the number of affordable health insurance options is expanding. Novak welcomes comments and feedback for future publications. Tony is a man who has stepped-up to the plate on behalf of diabetic health insurance. Anybody willing to decode the encrypted lingo of diabetic clauses in health insurance is a hero in my book. Everybody loves a hero. Thanks Tony!