4.19.2023 Board Book

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These recommendations include motivational interviewing, intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment, pharmacotherapy and metabolic and bariatric surgery. The approach considers the child’s health status, family system, community context, and resources. The comprehensive evidence-based recommendations included in the CPG reflect just how far the understanding and care of childhood obesity has come. Finally, OMA would like to express our concern with some of the comments made by the Department of Social Services during a recent hearing of the Human Services Committee, which alluded to how costly these drugs would be to the state’s Medicaid program. It is important to remember that while some AOMs may be costly, state Medicaid programs often receive very generous rebates and discounts from manufacturers. There are generic medications that are also effective in treatment of the disease and providing coverage for all medications would allow for appropriate care in a cost-effective manner. In addition, creating a system where Medicaid beneficiaries will have access to the full range of obesity treatment services will provide an avenue for addressing so many other costly obesity-related conditions such as Type II diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Our country must acknowledge obesity for the chronic disease that it is and take steps to treat it in the same serious fashion as other chronic disease states such as diabetes and hypertension. We urge the Appropriations Committee to favorably report out SB 977 and stand up for coverage of all medically necessary obesity treatment avenues – including FDA-approved anti-obesity medications. Sincerely,

Angela Fitch, MD, FACP, FOMA President, Obesity Medicine Association