WBUR.org 7/13/11: Partners Unveils Plan To Provide Better Health Care, Lower Costs. Alan Reiss has diabetes. His blood sugar is under control now, but “if I go back, maybe 18 months, I literally felt like I was dying,” Reiss said, shaking his head. “I kept telling my friends that I was going to die early. I actually bought a life insurance policy ’cause I thought, well, I’m not going to live long so I might as well beat the odds for my wife.” “Do you feel differently, having started the insulin?” asked Dr. Alan Cole, glancing up at Reiss from his computer screen. The Wayland engineer is here because his diabetes pills weren’t working. Cole persuaded him to try the old fashioned but proven treatment, insulin shots. Reiss was reluctant. “I had a fear of pain and all the inconvenience. I didn’t realize how easy it is and how painless it is,” Reiss said. “Now that I’ve been on insulin for a month or so, I feel normal. I actually feel healthy again.”