According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 90 percent of the 3.5 trillion dollars spent in healthcare each year in the U.S. is to treat chronic and mental health conditions. One of the biggest chronic conditions is diabetes, which impacts roughly 30 million Americans and is rising. In China, 10 percent of the population has diabetes. 

A digital health company called Livongo is trying to help patients manage the disease in an easy and more affordable way. CGTN's Karina Huber reports. 

67-year old William McLeod has lived with type 2 diabetes for almost 20 years. When he was first diagnosed, his immediate fear was that he would have to inject insulin. 

"I've never been a person that ever wanted to have a needle. As a child, if I went to the doctor and had to get a little needle, they had to catch me first,” he said. 

McLeod has avoided injections and relies instead on medication and dietary changes to manage his diabetes. But he does have to constantly monitor his health. 

"Your whole life is upset. You have to be careful what you eat. You have to be careful what you drink. You have to be careful what you do. So, it can be quite scary," he said. 

McLeod is not alone. 

More than 30 million Americans or roughly 9% of the U.S. population has diabetes. The condition is also prevalent in China and India where it is growing, mainly because of changing lifestyles. It's an expensive chronic disease that can rob sufferers of their vision and limbs. At the moment, there is no cure. All you can do is manage it. 

McLeod manages his diabetes with the help of digital health company Livongo. 

Five times a day he pricks his finger to get a blood sample. He then inserts a test strip into a Livongo device. 

It reads his blood sugar levels and sends it to the cloud where it is analyzed. If all is well, he is sent a message of encouragement. 

Today is a good day. When his levels are off, he gets a call from a coach advising him on what to do. 

Livongo has more than 200,000 members and upwards of 750 clients – mainly large companies – 20% of which are on the Fortune 500 list. 

The company's founder, Glen Tullman, said the program saves them money in healthcare costs. 

"So, we deliver better healthcare results. And better healthcare results means you need to go to the ER less, you need less physician appointments, you’re using your medications properly and because of that, that leads to cost savings,” he said. 

McLeod said at one point his doctor wanted him to start insulin injections. He asked for one more chance and started the Livongo program. So far, no injections. 

"The best you can hope for is to manage it well. I'm managing it well. The tools that I use help me manage it well – Livongo is one of those tools," he said.