Expanding access to obesity treatments for older adults
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Contributor(s):
- Bipartisan Policy Center, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, D.C. : Bipartisan Policy Center, February 2022
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Health Services Accessibility Health Services for the Aged Obesity -- therapy Anti-Obesity Agents -- therapeutic use United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- The prevalence of obesity in the U.S. continues to rise, including in older adults, and is higher among communities of color and historically disadvantaged communities. This poses a significant challenge for public health, health care providers, and public and private payers, all of whom are struggling with the double burden of COVID-19 and rising rates of obesity and chronic disease. Given the serious health and financial ramifications of obesity, policymakers should consider the value of increased investment in obesity prevention and treatment efforts. Currently, Medicare provides limited coverage for bariatric surgery, Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) for weight loss, and the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) for those who qualify. IBT and MDPP are covered as no-cost preventive services for those who meet eligibility criteria, but coverage for IBT is limited to primary care settings, and uptake of both services has been low. In addition, Medicare does not cover the full continuum of care for obesity, including anti-obesity medications and all evidence-based behavioral interventions. Given that prior efforts have failed to stem rising rates and costs of obesity, this policy brief aims to stimulate discussion as to what would be required for policymakers to expand access to obesity treatments in public insurance programs, and in Medicare specifically. We first present current data on the prevalence and costs of obesity overall and for those above age 65. Overall, obesity is estimated to be responsible for $248 billion (in 2020) in annual medical expenditures, which equates to 6.2% of total expenditures. We then present the results of a systematic review summarizing the evidence base of obesity treatments that are not currently covered in the Medicare program. The review identified five Food and Drug Administration-approved (FDA) pharmaceuticals and two behavioral health interventions that could be considered for coverage. All but one showed statistically significant weight loss at 12 months or greater; however, none of the reviews specifically focused on older adults or those most likely to be enrolled in public insurance programs. Even though obesity is a growing epidemic, a leading risk factor for serious cases of COVID-19, and a dire health equity issue, this policy brief demonstrates potential gaps in Medicare coverage of evidence-based obesity treatments. To close these gaps, policymakers should remove the statutory prohibition on Medicare Part D coverage for FDA-approved anti-obesity medications. Further studies in the older adult population could help Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in their consideration for coverage of treatments. In addition, expanded access to existing evidence-based obesity treatments such as IBT will be critical to ensure older adults have access to the full continuum of obesity care.
- Copyright:
- The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (14 pages)) : illustrations
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918557283706676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918557283706676