The U.S. House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee passed an amended version of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act by a vote of 36-4, demonstrating strong bipartisan support for treating obesity like the dangerous disease it is.
Among the bill’s limitations is one to restrict coverage to patients who were already on an obesity medication before transitioning to Medicare. Forcing patients off their medication can result in loss of progress, whereas continuity of care is key.
Health Benefits and Projected Savings from Medication Coverage
Until recently, Medicare coverage excluded FDA-approved medications to treat obesity. The rules reflected a common misunderstanding: that their function is primarily cosmetic.
In contrast, the drugs have proven health outcomes for people with diabetes and heart disease as well as other conditions that can be exacerbated by excess weight. Given the breadth of benefits, acknowledging the potential cost savings has become undeniable.
Experts anticipate covering the drug now will generate long-term savings on inpatient stays, surgeries and other serious complications that were avoided. One analysis calculated those savings to Medicare could total $18-$23 billion over the next decade. Net savings could top $7,000 per patient per year.
A Step Toward Health Equity
Around 35% of seniors struggle with obesity and its comorbidities, making the disease a driver of increased health care costs and utilization for one in three Medicare participants. Those rates are slightly higher in Black and Hispanic communities, so the bill’s adoption could also be seen as a positive step toward health care equity.
To continue bringing down the rate and consequences of obesity, the amended bill would also allow reconsideration of coverage under Medicare’s Intensive Behavior Therapies program. If approved, the federal insurance program could cover weight-loss medications as part of comprehensive care offered by qualified dieticians and nutritionists to patients in need.
Obesity’s impact on Americans’ health, and the nation’s health care system, can hardly be overstated.
It’s important to recognize Congress for its recent strides toward treating obesity as the true public health crisis it is.
