2021-09-22 OMA Agenda - Board of Trustees

OMA-Specific Advocacy Efforts Surrounding TROA I coordinated several state-specific advocacy days for OMA Advocacy Committee Members that have included:

• VA Hill meetings with Allan Hardy • PA Hill meetings with Vicki March and Verlyn Warrington • CO Hill meetings with Carolynn Francavilla, Rebecca Andrick and Adam Gilden

• MI Hill meetings with Lauren Oshman and Colleen Buda • CA Hill meetings with Amanda Velazquez Janet Tomiyama OCAN Advocacy Efforts

OMA is a founding member of the Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN), which now includes more than 25 organizations working together to promote federal policy that expands treatment options for Americans affected by obesity. This year, I continue to involve OMA advocacy committee members in a number of OCAN advocacy efforts targeting congressional staff and regulatory agencies. State Advocacy Louisiana State Employee Plan to Provide Coverage of Bariatric Surgery On June 16, 2021, the Louisiana State Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 150, which was championed by Senate Health Committee Vice Chair Regina Barrow (D) and fellow Committee member Gerald Boudreaux (D). The legislation will allow for up to 300 state employees a year with severe obesity to have bariatric surgery. While the new coverage has a number of limitations, it does represent a key first step toward hopefully comprehensive coverage of obesity treatment in the future. Efforts will now intensify to secure coverage for obesity drugs to plug a major treatment gap in Louisiana state employee health plan coverage Minnesota Budget Bill Includes Medicaid Coverage for Obesity Drugs On June 30, 2021, the Minnesota State Legislature approved a budget deal that will allow for Medical Assistance (Medicaid) coverage for FDA-approved anti-obesity medications (AOMs). Obesity advocates have been working behind the scenes to maintain this provision in the final budget package that now heads to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law. Under the agreement, the state’s Medicaid program would allocate approximately $725,000 in Fiscal Years (FY) 2022/2023 and $1.27 million in FY 2023/2024 for obesity drug coverage. I worked closely behind the scenes with one of my former College housemates (and now Minnesota state lobbyist) Bill Amberg to lobby the members of the House/Senate Budget conference committee to support inclusion of the Medicaid drug benefit in the final budget package. I also recommended and got approved $6,000 in ASMBS PAC donations for key legislators in the MN Legislature who support the mission of the ASMBS of expanding obesity treatment coverage for all Americans. Georgia Reinstates Bariatric Surgery Benefit for State Employees On August 12, 2021, the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) took administrative action and voted to reinstate bariatric coverage under the Georgia state employee health benefit plan — effective January 1, 2022. VICTORIES