Компания Kerecis расширила страховое покрытие для лечения диабетических язв ног в Миссисипи

One in seven Mississippians is living with diabetes. That is not a projection. That is the current reality documented by the Mississippi State Department of Health — placing the state in the top five nationally for diabetes rates. Diabetes produces complications. One of the most devastating is the diabetic foot ulcer — a wound that, when untreated or undertreated, leads to infection, hospitalization, and in the worst cases, amputation. Mississippians are not failing to manage their diabetes because they do not care. Many are failing because they do not have access to the treatments that work. Diabetic foot ulcers are the leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputation in the United States. Approximately 80 percent of all non-traumatic amputations in America are preceded by a diabetic foot ulcer. In Mississippi, where diabetes rates, obesity rates, and Medicaid dependency all run among the highest in the country, the path from unmanaged wound to amputation is well documented — and more common than in almost any other state. That just changed for one of those treatments. Kerecis — an Icelandic biotechnology company whose fish-skin grafts are derived from sustainably sourced Atlantic cod — announced today that it has expanded U.S. insurance coverage to include more than 40 million new covered lives across national and regional insurers and state Medicaid programs. The company now has coverage through nearly all state Medicaid plans — including Mississippi. Why Fish Skin Works — and What the Studies Show The concept sounds unusual. The clinical data is not. Kerecis intact fish-skin grafts preserve the natural three-dimensional structure of the tissue rather than processing it into a reconstituted or synthetic material. That structural preservation matters because it supports cellular ingrowth — the process by which the patient’s own cells migrate into the graft material and rebuild healthy tissue. The graft works with the body rather than serving as a temporary cover while the wound tries to heal underneath. A new study analyzing outcomes across 61 U.S. burn centers — published with data from the American Burn Association’s Burn Care Quality Platform — compared 465 patients treated with either Kerecis fish-skin grafts or synthetic alternatives. The results were specific. Hospital length of stay averaged 24.2 days for fish-skin patients versus 33.5 days for synthetic material patients — a difference of more than nine days per patient. Graft loss occurred in 3.2 percent of fish-skin patients versus 8.3 percent of synthetic material patients. For diabetic foot ulcers specifically, Kerecis ranks among the top two most widely covered skin substitutes in the country. The clinical evidence for diabetic wound healing has been the primary driver of the insurer coverage expansion announced today. The Mississippi-Specific Reason This Matters Mississippi does not just have high diabetes rates. It has the conditions that make diabetic foot ulcers most likely to become catastrophic. Mississippi is one of only two states — with West Virginia — where the obesity rate exceeds 40 percent. It has the second-highest heart disease mortality rate in the country. It has the highest percentage of Black residents of any state in the country at 36 percent — and research published in Diabetes Care documents that Black Americans face disproportionately higher risks of lower extremity amputation from diabetic foot ulcers than white patients with the same baseline health. The state’s Medicaid program absorbs approximately $1 billion in diabetes-related charges per year, according to the Mississippi State Department of Health. That figure reflects what happens downstream when diabetic complications are not caught or treated early — hospitalizations, amputations, long-term care that costs the system far more than the wound treatment that might have prevented it. A peer-reviewed study published in Diabetology in March 2026 found that Medicaid patients with diabetic foot ulcers face significantly higher risks of infection and major amputation than commercially insured patients with the same diagnosis. The access gap — what treatment you receive depending on what insurance you carry — is measurable in Mississippi limbs. The Coverage Loss That Makes Today’s News More Urgent Mississippi Today reported today — August 25, 2026 — that more than 200,000 Mississippians lost their health insurance coverage when enhanced ACA premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025. Among those who lost coverage were Mississippi diabetes patients who had been receiving regular care through subsidized marketplace plans. Derrick Clark, a 51-year-old Jackson diabetes patient profiled in today’s Mississippi Today article, is one of them. He and more than 200,000 other Mississippians were forced to give up coverage as premiums jumped beyond what they could afford. The people who lost marketplace coverage did not gain Medicaid eligibility. Mississippi has not expanded Medicaid. They fell into the coverage gap — earning too much for traditional Medicaid but unable to afford the new, higher marketplace premiums without enhanced subsidies. The Mississippians who remain on Medicaid — elderly residents, disabled adults, qualifying families — now have access to fish-skin grafts through the Kerecis coverage expansion. For the state’s most medically vulnerable population, the timing of this coverage addition is meaningful. For the 200,000 who lost coverage entirely, it arrives as a reminder of what coverage access makes possible. What Mississippi Medicaid Patients With Diabetic Wounds Should Know The Kerecis coverage expansion through Mississippi Medicaid means that qualifying Mississippi Medicaid recipients with diabetic foot ulcers or other wound care needs can now access fish-skin graft treatment as a covered benefit — subject to the specific terms of their Medicaid plan and medical necessity determination by their treating physician. Mississippi Medicaid recipients with diabetes who have developed foot wounds should ask their treating physician or podiatrist specifically whether they qualify for wound care treatment with biologic skin grafts and whether Kerecis products are available through their provider. The Kerecis coverage expansion is not limited to Medicaid. The company’s announcement includes major national and regional insurers as well as the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association — an umbrella organization representing more than 30 independent health plans nationally, including individual ACA marketplace plans. Mississippi residents on ACA marketplace plans who have a diabetic wound should contact their insurer directly to confirm whether Kerecis fish-skin grafts are covered under their specific plan before assuming the treatment is out of reach. Coverage varies by plan, insurer, and medical necessity determination. Confirming coverage before treatment begins — rather than after — is the step that protects patients from unexpected out-of-pocket costs. The Mississippi Division of Medicaid can be reached at 1-800-421-2408 for benefit and coverage questions. The Mississippi State Department of Health diabetes program line is 601-576-7400. Sources - Kerecis press release — 40M new covered lives, BCBS Association inclusion, nearly all state Medicaid plans, 61 burn centers study, 24.2 vs 33.5 days, 3.2% vs 8.3% graft loss, Sigurjonsson/Johannsson quotes, August 25, 2026 - Mississippi State Department of Health — 1 in 7 Mississippians with diabetes, top 5 nationally, $10,400 per diagnosed resident, $1 billion annual Medicaid diabetes charges - Mississippi Today / Stateline / Shalina Chatlani — 200,000+ Mississippians lost ACA coverage, Derrick Clark profile, Black population 36%, obesity above 40%, second-highest heart disease mortality, August 25, 2026