The cost of diabetes care continues to rise, burdening patients, providers and insurers alike. For health plans focused on long-term sustainability, reducing the risk should be more than a side initiative. It should be central to strategy. Joe Kiani, founder of Masimo and Willow Laboratories, has long advocated for models that emphasize early prevention through real-time insights and behavioral support. His work demonstrates how technology can be applied to strengthen habits, helping people stick to routines that improve health and lower long-term costs.
Proactive risk reduction for diabetes is no longer a nice-to-have. It is both a financial and ethical imperative for insurers navigating high claims, costly complications and increasing demand for chronic care. Digital tools designed to reach people before diagnosis, and to keep them engaged over time, present an opportunity to reduce costs while improving lives.
The Diabetes Cost Curve Is Unsustainable
Diabetes continues to drive some of the highest costs in healthcare, from hospitalizations and emergency visits to ongoing treatments and complications. Millions of Americans also live with prediabetes, often without knowing it, which means many more are at risk of developing long-term health needs. For insurers, this creates a cycle of rising claims and escalating expenses that is difficult to contain.
The financial logic is clear. Helping people lower their risk or delay onset reduces costs across the system. Yet traditional programs often place heavy demands on members early, expecting major lifestyle changes that are hard to sustain. Without steady support, most people lose momentum, and the savings never materialize. To shift the curve, prevention must be designed as part of daily life, not as a one-time initiative.
Real-Time Tools Make Reducing the Risk Practical
Prevention works best when it feels realistic and easy to maintain. Digital tools that operate in real time can turn data into clear, actionable guidance that matches a person’s daily habits. Someone struggling with poor sleep might be encouraged to add a short evening routine, while another person could receive a prompt to hydrate after long periods of inactivity.
Individually, these adjustments may seem small, but they build consistency over time. Because the system adapts as patterns emerge, the guidance becomes increasingly relevant, reinforcing what works and adjusting when progress stalls. This steady feedback keeps people engaged, making risk reduction a regular part of life rather than an occasional effort.
Insurers Benefit from Early, Ongoing Engagement
Insurers see the greatest return when members are supported early in their health journey and encouraged to stay engaged over time. Consistent interaction lowers the likelihood of complications, hospitalizations, and costly interventions while helping people build the skills and confidence needed to manage their health before a diagnosis occurs.
This steady connection also creates valuable insights. Aggregated data can reveal where members are making progress, highlight areas that may need additional resources, and guide incentives that encourage healthy routines. For insurers, that information supports smarter benefit design and more efficient use of resources.
Joe Kiani, Masimo founder, explains, “I’ve seen so many people start on medication, start on fad diets… and people generally don’t stick with those because it’s not their habits.” Sustainable change comes from behaviors that fit naturally into daily life. When prevention efforts align with real habits instead of quick fixes, the likelihood of costly setbacks decreases. That means fewer claims, fewer acute episodes, and ultimately healthier member populations.
Better Outcomes, Smarter Use of Resources
Traditional wellness programs often leave individuals to manage change on their own, offering broad advice without the tools or feedback needed to succeed. Proactive approaches take a different path by turning data into clear, actionable steps that help people follow through. By simplifying self-care and supporting consistent progress, they make prevention feel achievable.
For insurers, this model delivers value on two levels. It supports individuals by lowering barriers to participation and sustaining engagement long enough for results to take hold. At the same time, it aligns savings with durable improvements in health behavior rather than short-term compliance. By making prevention practical and scalable across diverse populations, insurers can extend the reach of care while using resources more efficiently.
Supporting Providers with Smarter Data
Primary care teams often struggle to monitor lifestyle changes outside the clinic, yet these choices influence outcomes as much as tests or medications. Digital systems that capture real-world behavior help close this gap by giving providers a clearer view of what members experience day to day.
With access to organized trends and context, clinicians can adjust advice to match lived realities. If ongoing stress or disrupted sleep consistently shows up in the data, the care team can respond with targeted strategies instead of broad recommendations. When providers and patients review the same information, conversations become more focused, treatment plans more practical, and unnecessary visits less frequent.
A Better Experience for Individuals
For prevention efforts to succeed, the experience must feel clear and supportive. People are more likely to continue when they see how their choices connect to progress over time. Digital tools can translate everyday decisions into visible outcomes, offering encouragement rather than overwhelming demands.
This sense of reassurance improves consistency, which in turn benefits insurers seeking stronger outcomes and reduced costs. A smoother experience for individuals leads to better engagement, steadier progress, and fewer avoidable complications. When prevention feels manageable, it delivers value for both users and the systems that support them.
A New Standard for Chronic Disease Risk Reduction
Proactive risk reduction for diabetes is no longer optional. For insurers, the path to lower costs and healthier populations lies in approaches that help people act before conditions escalate. By investing in tools that provide real-time guidance, adaptive feedback, and engagement that lasts, insurers can redirect resources toward prevention instead of crisis response.
With leaders advocating for accessible, behavior-first solutions, the blueprint is clear. Support people in making small, steady changes that fit into daily life, and those habits can grow into lasting protection against costly complications. The result is a model of care that is more sustainable for insurers and more supportive for the individuals they serve.
