We Must Use All Tools Available To Fight Obesity
Below are my remarks to the Cost of Obesity symposium on April 30 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the American Gerontological Society of America.
Thank you James Appleby for that introduction, and thank you to all that you and your fine organization does to improve the health and well-being of the aging in the United States.
Senator Tom Carper, Representative Erik Paulsen … thank you for your leadership in Congress on this very important issue. It is heartening to see bipartisan support for common sense solutions as we seek to tackle obesity.
And thank you to CQ/Roll Call and the Newseum for hosting us today.
Obesity is more than an appearance or lifestyle issue. It has very real consequences, as our growing obesity problem is causing more and more chronic diseases. And those chronic diseases are killing more and more of our family members and putting a massive strain on our health system.
In fact, a study by American Journal of Public Health shows that three times more deaths than previously thought are believed to be related to obesity — both among men and women, and at older ages.
That, quite simply, is unacceptable. We need personal solutions — and we need policy solutions to get obesity under control.
I have been pushing the personal solution for years. We must take personal responsibility by eating less, eating healthier and exercising more.
That is the basic formula for losing weight. We all know that.
Now, I’m not here to tell you that you can’t enjoy certain foods. That’s not my job, and that’s not government’s job.
But I am here to tell you to eat and drink in moderation. Balance those meals with healthy choices. Don’t go back for seconds and certainly not thirds. Even if it is a Wisconsin brat or cheese plate.
I know, I know … that’s easier said than done.
For a wide variety of reasons, that doesn’t work for everyone. We can lecture, cajole and plead all we like, but we still have an obesity problem. More than one in three American adults are obese — and the experts say it’s only going to get worse.
That’s where the policy solution comes in.
As you know, the American Medical Association has rightly classified obesity as a disease. That has sparked an important conversation about treatments and coverage of obesity.
Payers — from Medicare to the state exchanges to private plans — simply must begin covering medicines to treat obesity.
As it stands now, Medicare is specifically prohibited from covering medicines to treat obesity. That’s a mistake, and Congress must pass the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, which will permit Medicare to provide the care people need.
Thank you to Senator Carper and Representative Paulsen for sponsoring this important piece of legislation.
We must give doctors and patients all the tools they need to tackle this epidemic — and coverage of obesity medicines is a vital tool that simply is being neglected through current policy and reimbursement strategies.
And the American public agrees. In a poll conducted last year, 64 percent said Medicare should cover obesity medicines — while just 21 percent were opposed.
That is because people recognize the burden obesity causes. In fact, 76 percent of Americans believe obesity is a problem in their state.
And you know what? The federal government already recognizes the need to cover these medicines. The Office of Personnel Management — the human resources department for government — said federal health plans should pay for weight loss medicines, under appropriate circumstances.
Every time I talk about this, critics respond by saying: “This will just add costs to Medicare. It will only make things worse.”
I respectfully disagree.
If Medicare begins covering medicines to treat obesity, it will significantly reduce the long term costs associated with obesity-related chronic diseases.
I urge the Congressional Budget Office to take a look at not just the price per prescription — but also at the downstream savings. This is known as “dynamic scoring,” and this is the perfect policy proposal to employ this common sense technique of looking at the cost of legislation.
Obesity is a condition that we would be wise to cover and treat early and often, because the tidal wave of diseases that come in its wake are much more costly in dollars and lives.
We simply must stop waiting for people to get sick and then spend infinitely more trying to make them well again. It’s just silly.
Covering obesity medicines is a no-brainer — and we must begin behaving rationally if we are going to come to grips with rising health costs and a population that’s getting sicker.
Thank you again for your time.
