STOP Obesity Alliance - Strategies To Overcome And Prevent
August 2011 Issue
IN THIS ISSUE
Alliance & Member News
News Round-Up

  

 Greetings!

 

To include or not to include - that is the question many pondered this August in Washington as the Institute of Medicine (IOM) worked to develop recommendations for the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the criteria and methods for determining the essential health benefits package, called for under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  The Secretary ultimately will define the essential health benefits to be covered through the new health insurance exchanges - a benefits package that must be implemented by 2014.  Just exactly what is considered "essential" will affect the health of millions of Americans, allowing access to necessary and proven services for a wide range of health conditions.    
 

As you might imagine, ensuring that obesity and weight-related diseases receive fair consideration in this process is a priority for the STOP Obesity Alliance Essential Health Benefits (EHB) Task Force.  Obesity accounts for $270 billion a year in total costs in America and is associated with significantly increased risk of more than 20 different diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, certain cancers and osteoarthritis.  Rising obesity rates across the nation have led to worsening health outcomes.  The projections for related costs are equally alarming.  Either way you look at it, the intensifying wave of obesity across the country is both unsustainable and unacceptable.

 

That's why the STOP Obesity Alliance formed the EHB Task Force, charging the group with developing consensus recommendations on prevention, treatment and management services for obesity and related co-morbidities that should be considered essential health benefits.  We delivered these recommendations to the IOM and the Secretary this month.

 

The Task Force recommends that no obesity prevention, treatment or management services should be summarily excluded from the new essential health benefits package coverage requirements under the ACA. Underpinning the Alliance EHB Task Force's proposal to include obesity services in the essential health benefits package are Federal, evidence-based recommendations, specifically recommendations of the United States Preventive Services Task Force and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

 

Unfortunately, the systematic bias present in our society against those who are obese is pervasive, extending even to medical care and determining what services are effective and should be covered by insurance.  Even for those who are presently insured, it can be difficult to gain access to affordable and evidence-based obesity services.

 

Take for example the news reported earlier this summer by the South Florida Sun Sentinel that several Florida ob-gyn doctors refused to accept overweight women who are otherwise healthy as their patients.  In defending their decision, the doctors cited concerns about potential complications in care, risk of malpractice suits and medical equipment that is not designed to deal with excess weight. That's a lot of people to exclude from medical treatment, given that more than 60 percent of American women are considered overweight or obese.

 

Obesity is a complicated condition requiring a multi-factorial response based on the needs of the patient.  Undoubtedly, more research is needed, but there are evidence-based obesity and obesity-related chronic disease services available that could and should be covered as a way to stem the obesity epidemic.

 

We know there are competing interests and limited resources when it comes to providing services.  But I encourage the Secretary to consider this simple point:  Access to evidence-based treatments for obesity and weight-related diseases is essential in improving health and reducing the incidence of chronic disease across America.  Because weight is ultimately an issue of health.  

 

Sincerely,

 

Christine C. Ferguson, J.D.

Director, STOP Obesity Alliance

Professor, School of Public Health and Health Services

Department of Health Policy

The George Washington University


Alliance & Member News
Alliance & Member News

Several Alliance Steering Committee and Associate Members were featured in news stories this month including:

 

 

STOP Obesity Alliance Essential Health Benefits Task Force Panel

STOP Obesity Alliance Essential Health Benefits (EHB) Task Force will host a panel via webinar on September 8 to discuss the need for and research behind its EHB recommendations. Alliance Director Christine Ferguson will moderate an expert panel which will include George Blackburn, M.D., PhD, Co-Chair of the Reality Coalition, Joe Nadglowski, President and CEO of the Obesity Action Coalition, and Donna Ryan, M.D., Professor and Associate Executive Director for Clinical Resarch at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Click here to RSVP.

 

The Obesity Society's 19th Annual Scientific Meeting

 

The Obesity Society is hosting its Annual Scientific Meeting October 1-5 in Orlando, Fla. The STOP Obesity Alliance is co-sponsoring the Advocacy Forum on October 1: "Translating Health Reform Into An Evidence-Based Approach to Obesity." In addition, presentation topics include metabolism, neuroscience, intervention and clinical studies, population health and policy and many more. Registration ends September 16th. Click here for more information.

 

Fifth Annual African American Women's Health Forum

 

The Black Women's Health Imperative will host the Fifth Annual African American Women's Health Forum on September 17 in Oklahoma City, Okla. Marilyn Hughes Gaston, M.D., the first African American woman to direct a U.S. Public Health Service bureau, and Gayle Porter, clinical psychologist and the first African American psychologist on staff of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine's Child & Adolescent Child Psychiatry Department, will speak. Click here for more information.

 

ASMBS Second Annual Fall Educational Event 

 

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) will host its Second Annual Fall Educational Event September on 23-24 in Chicago, Ill. Key discussion topics will include management of difficult cases, sleeve gastrectomy, complications and behavioral issues. Click here for more information.

 

Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo

 

The American Dietetic Association is hosting its 2011 Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo on September 24-27 in San Diego, Calif. The event features over 300 exhibitors, innovative speakers and networking opportunities. Click here for more information.

 

NIHB 28th Annual Consumer Conference

 

National Indian Health Board (NIHB) will hold its 28th Annual Consumer Conference on September 26-29 in Anchorage, Ala. Tribal leaders, Tribal health administrators, area health boards and health care professionals will discuss successes, challenges, opportunities and the future of health care for American Indian people. Click here for more information.

 

IAMM Eighth Annual Awards Benefit

 

The Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural & Minority Medicine (IAMM) will hold its Eighth Annual Awards Benefit on September 27 in Washington, D.C. The event will honor survivors of chronic illnesses and well-known leaders in health care who have made contributions to communities nationwide. Click here for more information.

 

Fifth Annual Southern Obesity Summit

 

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors will hold its Fifth Annual Southern Obesity Summit on October 2-5 in New Orleans, La. Presentation topics include obesity prevention, ideas for developing a food policy council and urban farming. Click here for more information.

 

Reach for the Stars with NEDA

 

National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)'s "Reaching for the Stars! Advancing the Prevention and Treatment of Eating Disorders" 2011 Conference will take place on October 13-15 in Los Angeles, Calif. The conference will feature sessions on treatment, prevention and a range of other topics presented by leading health care professionals. Click here for more information.

 

61st Annual Obesity and Associated Conditions Symposium

 

The American Society of Bariatric Physicians will hold a symposium to present clinical expertise for the medical treatment of obesity on October 26-30 in Las Vegas, Nev. Topics will include treatment of related co-morbidities, exercise prescription guidelines and guidelines for modifying diets for specific needs. Click here for more information.

 

 

News Round-Up
News Round-Up

Half of U.S. Adults Will Be Obese By 2030, Report Says

August 25, 2011
The Washington Post
Jennifer Huget


A new study published in the journal The Lancet predicts that if the government fails to make significant changes to the food environment by the year 2030, half of American adults will be obese. The report advocates for government leadership, regulation and investment to reverse the trend.

 

Does Banning Use of Food Stamps for Soda Reduce Obesity?

August 21, 2011
The Washington Post
Sarah Kliff

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture rejected New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposal from last fall calling for a ban on the use of food stamps to buy soda. The agency concluded it was too difficult to decide which beverages could or could not be purchased with food stamps.

The Fattier Your Heart, the Greater Your Heart Disease Risk

August 19, 2011
HealthDay
John Leighty

 

According to a study published in the online edition of the journal Radiology, heart fat that collects around the rib cage, or pericardial fat, promotes irregular plaque build-up along coronary artery walls, causing heart attacks and cardiac disease. The study suggests that pericardial fat may be a stronger indicator of cardiac disease than body mass index or waist circumference.

 

Exercising 15 Minutes a Day Adds Three Years to Life Expectancy, Study Finds

August 15, 2011
Bloomberg
Simeon Bennett

 

A study published in The Lancet reports that people who exercised for 90 minutes a week were 14 percent less likely to have died after eight years than those who were inactive. Researchers found that for every extra 15 minutes of exercise per day, individuals reduced their risk of death by four percent. For those who exercise often and intensely, the risk of death is reduced by as much as 40 percent.

 

Obesity, Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating: Crisis in America
August 5, 2011
The Huffington Post
Susan Liddy

 

Life coach and motivational speaker Susan Liddy, a blogger for The Huffington Post, discussed the nation's contradictory and complex relationships with food-three unique food-related issues are simultaneously plaguing our nation: obesity, eating disorders and disordered eating. One-third of U.S. adults are obese; 24 million suffer from anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorders; and three in four women ages 25 to 45 engage in "disordered" eating, marked by excessive dieting, including eating when not hungry, eating in secret and consuming large quantities of fattening and processed foods.

 

Study: Healthy Eating Is Privilege of the Rich

August 4, 2011
Associated Press
Donna Gordon Blankinship


According to a recent study published in Health Affairs, a healthy diet that meets new U.S. nutritional guidelines is expensive and could add hundreds of dollars to Americans' grocery bills.

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The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance receives funding from founding sponsor, Sanofi, and supporting sponsor, Allergan, Inc.

The content on these web pages is intended for educational and informational purposes only and is not designed to replace medical advice or professional medical services. The information should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your physician. Medical decisions should be made in consultation with your qualified health care provider. There may be variations in treatment that your health provider may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
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