OBJECTIVES: To estimate the potential reduction of complications and cost per year for type 2 diabetes patients with high cardiovascular risk, from the perspective of Chilean public health system. METHODS: A microsimulation economic model at population level, based in the evidence reported in the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS 35 and 82) was built in TreeAge Pro 2018. Key parameters of the model were baseline age and glycated hemoglobin, which were extracted from a sample of type 2 diabetic patients with high cardiovascular risk. Resource usage was extracted from public system, representing the Fondo Nacional de Salud (FONASA). A potential reduction of glycated hemoglobin of 1%, 2%, and 3% was simulated in order to estimate the reduction of complications and expected cost per year for Chilean health system. RESULTS: By reducing a 1% of glycated hemoglobin, there is an expected reduction in disease related complications equivalent to 21.02% in amputations, 20.64% in diabetic retinopathy, 18,26% in heart failure, 16.99% in myocardial infarction, 18.26% in the development of advanced stage of chronic kidney disease, and 11.50% in stroke, all of them related to diabetes complications. The expected reduction in cost for public health system for the sub group of high cardiovascular risk is 3 USD million per year (per 100,000 diabetic patients). CONCLUSIONS: Reduction of glycated hemoglobin can be translated in terms of avoided complications and avoided cost per year, being a very useful tool for health systems to take into account in the design of health policy.