DLC Brief: Addressing the Obesity Epidemic

Addressing the Obesity Epidemic

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity rates in the U.S.have increased dramatically over the last 30 years. The diabetes community cares deeply aboutthis topic, because to effectively prevent and manage diabetes, access to obesity treatments iscrucial. Obesity leaves Americans vulnerable to type 2 diabetes and more than 200 other serioushealth conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.

A landmark National Diabetes Prevention Program study found that the progression fromprediabetes to type 2 diabetes is reduced by 59% when lifestyle modifications are made.Similarly, the use of a weight loss drug reduced the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 94%in obese or overweight adults with pre-diabetes compared to a placebo, according to initialresults from a long-term study.

In order to make America healthier, obesity must be addressed, treated and managed effectively.Scientific innovation has led to a number of prevention and treatment options. However,Medicare and many other payers have not kept pace with the science, leaving millions of peoplevulnerable to costly chronic illnesses and premature death due to lack of treatment for obesity.To be most effective, obesity management must encompass the full continuum of care, includethe best standards of treatment, and coordination of care, including intensive behavioral therapy(IBT), Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), and pharmaceutical treatments. The current policy isincomplete, inefficient, and disrupts the continuity of care for patients.

DLC Supports:

• Expanding access for patients to the full continuum of care including medication;Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) and Medical Nutritional Therapy (MNT) and otherevidence-based, community-based lifestyle counseling programs
• Covering anti-obesity medications (AOM) for beneficiaries with obesity in Medicare PartD, which would be a net cost saver for the federal government, as better health outcomestranslate to lower health costs later in life

These policies would be a net cost saver for the federal government, as better health outcomestranslate to lower health costs later in life. Professional societies like the American MedicalAssociation and Endocrine Society recognize the significance of addressing the obesityepidemic, linked to an overall increase in annual healthcare costs of $1,861 per adult, totaling$170 billion in excess expenditures annually.

Contacts:

Erin Callahan, Chief Operating Officer, ecallahan@diabetespac.org

April Gutmann, Sr. Manager Government Affairs & Policy, agutmann@diabetespac.org

New England Journal of Medicine. :: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2206038

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). :: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult-obesity-facts/index.html