08-03-2023_BoardBook

FOR REVIEW: Coalition Letter to CMS (CMS Health Equity Conference) Precision Strategies | Updated: 5.25.23 at 11 a.m. ET

***The deadline for signing the below letter is Thursday, June 1 by COB . We aim to send the final letter to CMS on Monday, June 5.

The Honorable Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, CMS Administrator Dr. LaShawn McIver, Director, CMS Office of Minority Health - - - - - - Dear Administrator Brooks-LaSure and Dr. McIver:

On behalf of the Health Equity Coalition for Chronic Disease — a coalition of prominent civil rights, racial equity, and health care leaders working to eliminate barriers to healthcare for communities of color — and allied organizations, we extend our deepest appreciation and gratitude to CMS leadership for your continued focus and emphasis on advancing health equity. We are excited by the inaugural CMS Health Equity Conference on June 7-8 and its focus on the future of equitable healthcare, which comes at an urgent moment. Millions of Black and Brown Americans are disproportionately impacted by the growing obesity epidemic. More than two-in-five American adults live with obesity, and almost 50% of Black and Latino adults. As obesity rates surge within communities of color — far outpacing obesity rates experienced by their white counterparts — Black and Brown Americans are disproportionately shouldering the burden of the obesity epidemic. But they don't have to: Obesity is a preventable and treatable disease. Given the interaction between social determinants of health and obesity, treatment of the disease requires more than lifestyle changes. Any approach for tackling this disease, must include a push to provide communities of color access to the full continuum of obesity care and treatment. We believe, as you do, that the need for health equity is urgent. Which is why we are urging CMS leaders to ensure that this week’s conference positions the obesity epidemic as a major focal point for discussion and future collaboration — including examining how CMS can expand access to the full continuum of obesity care and treatment for communities of color who are disproportionately impacted by the epidemic. The conference’s focus on “equitable healthcare” positions it to become the catalyst by which our nation’s obesity policy can begin moving forward — prioritizing and advancing more equitable policies that lead to better health outcomes for communities that have too often been overlooked and underserved by our nation’s health care system. We urge CMS leaders to take advantage of opportunities the conference presents to examine immediate actions that can begin to turn the tide for communities of color and other marginalized communities — such as ensuring coverage for breakthrough anti-obesity medications (AOMs) in Medicare. The current lack of access is the result of discriminatory rules rooted in outdated and dangerous stigmas. We believe opening up access to AOMs is within your authority and would represent a major step forward in addressing and dismantling existing health disparities and inequities. The reality is that the obesity epidemic has become a silent killer within marginalized communities. This is why the leaders of our coalition recently declared obesity a health emergency for communities of color, and urged the Biden administration to prioritize a series of urgent actions to turn the tide. Despite a landmark 2013 declaration by the American Medical Association (AMA) to recognize obesity as a disease — and recent comments by CMS to “close gaps in health care access, quality, and outcomes for underserved populations” — policies in our federal health programs remain woefully behind, furthering the stigma and other misconceptions around obesity. We believe the CMS Health Equity Conference can serve as an important springboard to chart a new path forward with respect to obesity care.