A coalition of around 20,000 advocates and twelve major health care groups has called on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand Medicare and Medicaid to include FDA-approved anti-obesity medications.
The letters are being led by the Health Equity Coalition for Chronic Disease (HECCD) and they say the change would potentially benefit up to 7.5 million Americans enrolled in these federal programs who are living with obesity, per the press release.
Why It Matters
The proposed expansion comes at a critical time when an estimated 42 percent of American adults are living with obesity—a number projected to rise to over 50 percent in the coming decade.
Dr. Elena Rios, co-chair of the HECCD and president of the National Hispanic Health Foundation, noted that this rule change would address the disproportionate impact of obesity on older Americans in underserved areas, providing them with necessary treatments that have been long denied.
"Expanding Medicare & Medicaid coverage policies to include anti-obesity medications will have a profound impact on improving the health of millions of Americans—especially older Americans living in rural and underserved communities who experience disproportionately higher rates of obesity, and who are too often left behind by our health care system[...]," Rios said in a statement.
What To Know
Advocacy for this change has garnered bipartisan support, suggesting a strong collective will to address a health crisis that drains $173 billion annually from the U.S. health care system, according to the grassroots advocates' public comment letter.
The national advocacy organizations' letter argues that the current policy exacerbates health disparities, particularly among communities of color and rural populations where obesity rates are notably higher—"six times higher than those in urban and suburban areas."
Advocates stress that the inclusion of anti-obesity medications (AOMs) is not just about treating obesity, but preventing the costly diseases it can lead to, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Organizations behind this movement include a wide range of stakeholders like the Alliance for Patient Access, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Obesity Care Advocacy Network. These groups emphasize that the rule change would align Medicare and Medicaid policies with the clinical standards needed to combat obesity effectively.
Expanding Medicare and Medicaid to cover anti-obesity medications could raise a few concerns, from a potential strain on health care budgets and overly medicalized obesity treatment, overshadowing lifestyle interventions like diet and exercise. There are also overarching doubts about the long-term efficacy and safety of these medications.
The letters mark the closure of the public comment period for the proposed rule.
What People Are Saying
Dr. Eleanor Yusupov, obesity medicine physician and assistant professor at New York Institute of Technology's College of Osteopathic Medicine, told Newsweek: "High cost of anti-obesity treatments and lack of insurance coverage remain major barriers for patients who need these medications. It is an issue of equity in healthcare that we face every day. Too often our most disadvantaged patients are not able to obtain highly effective anti-obesity medications. Policy change will improve access to medications that are now recommended by evidence-based guidelines to prevent diabetes, improve heart health, and improve quality of life for many patients."
Dr. Elena Rios, co-chair of the Health Equity Coalition for Chronic Disease and president of the National Hispanic Health Foundation, said in a statement: "... Obesity has been designated a chronic disease for well over a decade. If enacted, this rule will ensure that Medicare and Medicaid will finally begin to treat it as such[...]."
"By finalizing this rule, the Trump Administration has a legacy-building opportunity to do what no other administration has been able to: Reverse the course of a worsening obesity epidemic and decades of deteriorating public health, and improving the health outcomes for millions of Americans who have long been overlooked by our health care system."
Grassroots advocates in a letter: "By finalizing this policy, CMS has an era-defining opportunity to potentially reverse decades of deteriorating public health and rising obesity rates experienced by millions of Americans—in communities both rural and urban, big and small. This policy will usher in a new era of American public health while also cementing a commitment to ensuring that all Americans have access to evidence-based care and the opportunity to live longer and healthier lives."
What Happens Next
With the public comment period now closed, the decision rests with CMS to finalize the rule.
If enacted, this regulation would reinforce the treatment of obesity as a chronic disease under federal health programs and expand the range of treatments covered—potentially leading to significant health policy reforms and improved health outcomes for millions of Americans.
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