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1) Physician - can take a more aggressive "range of medical intervention" in treating obesity and hope that insurance will cover the cost, so patients are will be able to elect these options.
Cons - physicians will have the burden of treating more patients for obesity, taking on the responsibility of educating them about the importance of preventing obesity and encouraging them to treat existing disease. As a result, physicians will have to incur the costs of adding staff.
2) Patients - will now be eligible to receive medical intervention for a condition that had previously been classified as behavioral. Hopefully, insurers will step up and cover medical interventions.
This past April, "Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers conducted a small study of primary care doctors, and found they were less likely to build an emotional rapport with overweight and obese patients than they were with normal weight ones."
The researchers pointed out that empathy is essential when caring for the obese patients, and patients are more likely to comply with the medical intervention now that obesity has (finally) been classified as a disease and is no longer considered the unfortunate outcome of unhealthy lifestyle choices.
Cons - Certain medical interventions, such as bariatric surgery, pose a higher risk to the patients than diet and exercise.
3) FDA - It was reported back in 2003 that "FDA officials met with drug companies and the American Obesity Association in April ...to discuss whether obesity drugs should continue to be held to tougher safety and efficacy standards than those for diseases such as diabetes." Now the FDA will need to revise their guidelines for approving obesity drugs to reflect its classification as a disease.
Cons - FDA will probably be pressed into a less stringent approval process from the medical professionals, pharma/biotech/medical device industry, and patient advocacy groups.
Some have argued that "FDA should reframe their approval process to focus on the ability of pharmaceuticals to decrease adipose tissue rather than to improve other markers of metabolic health, such as blood pressure and lipid levels. There is current interest in developing a 'limited use' approval pathway that could facilitate the clinical review and FDA approval of prescription drugs. Antibiotics and drugs to treat obesity have been identified as appealing candidates for such a pathway. More effective medications on the market would likely spur physicians to prescribe, and patients to expect, pharmaceutical interventions for obesity. In turn, third party payers would be harder pressed to deny coverage."
4) Insurance providers - Medicare and Medicaid recognized that obesity is an issue and for years debated whether the condition should be classified as a disease. For private insurers, the new classification means long term reduction of healthcare treatment cost for disease linked to obesity through prevention.
Employers may be inclined to collaborate more with insurance providers to offer more wellness/prevention programs that will result in a gain for both parties: employers will pay for fewer sick days and workman's comp claims and insurers will enjoy reduced cost of healthcare.
Cons - the insurance company will pay more money upfront for medical intervention for obesity with expectation of long term reduction in treatment cost. The question will become, which types of treatment should be reimbursed?
"If obesity is classified as a disease, then the question will become precisely what types of treatment should be covered, said Steve Phurrough, director of the coverage and analysis group at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, which will make the decision.
"For example, if it's demonstrated that exercise is beneficial for obesity, there could be an argument that Medicare ought to buy a Gold's Gym membership," Phurrough said. "Another issue is diet counseling. One of the difficulties is that I'm not sure there's a lot of medical evidence that going to see a dietician actually helps people lose weight."
5) Pharma/biotech/device industry - if the FDA's approval process and criteria are less stringent, as noted above, this will provide an incentive for pharma/device companies to develop more drugs or devices to treat obesity. Currently, few companies are focusing on obesity, because so many have failed to receive FDA approval until recently with two new drugs.
If insurance companies start covering weight loss drugs, then devices and procedures, this will eliminate obstacles to marketing anti-obesity products and give companies incentive to develop drugs and devices to treat obesity.
Cons - it is difficult to develop a drug or device for obesity that is safe and effective over the long-term.
6) Federal and state - to curb the healthcare cost of the people today and the children of tomorrow, the federal and state agencies must step in to provide education that demonstrates how obesity impacts those who are afflicted and how it impacts everyone. More programs, incentives and mandates if necessary need to be put in place to change the mindset of the nation.
7) Fast food/soft drink industry - this industry must be persuaded to offer healthy options to customers since fast foods and soft drink maybe be either eliminated or significantly reduced to accommodate a healthy diet. There will be major push back from this industry, due to loss of revenue and revamping of their business to offer healthier options.
However, this industry has already started to move in this direction, by offering some healthy options. Companies will have the opportunity to build a better brand image as they become more responsive to the health of their customers.
Establishments of organic and health food will emerge as the big winners, along with fitness centers and weight-loss brands, who will fare particularly well if insurance companies authorize reimbursement for services to the clinically obese.
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