 Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death in Wisconsin, as stated at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services website. Diabetes costs an estimated annual 2.1 billion in health care costs and lost productivity. Each year, over 3,600 Wisconsin residents die from diabetes. Others experience disabling complications, including blindness, amputations, heart and kidney disease. In 1998, in Dane County alone, the direct costs of diabetes were estimated at 82.0 million and indirect costs at 100.4 million. 