Hello, I’m Dr. Mark Chassay, Chief Medical Officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, with a message about diabetes care. We understand how diabetes affects our members. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you know how this impacts your life and how diabetes management can be complex and challenging. The first thing to remember is that you are not alone. More and more people are living long and healthy lives with diabetes. Work together with your health care provider to make a plan that you can do in your daily life. If you haven’t done this recently, please reach out to your health care provider to schedule an appointment as soon as possible to discuss your diabetes plan of care. I encourage you to talk to your health care provider about your need for a yearly eye exam, a yearly kidney health test, and a hemoglobin A1c test which is a good way to monitor your average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. Having diabetes is a risk factor for heart disease so it is also important to know your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers. With proper management, routine diabetes testing and education, you can make the difference in your health and live better with diabetes. As always, remember to talk to your health care provider about any health questions or concerns you may have.