Obesity Action Coalition Blog

Legislation requiring New Hampshire based insurers to cover weight-loss surgery passed both the House and Senate and is now waiting final approval from New Hampshire Governor John Lynch. The OAC urges all New Hampshire residents to contact Governor Lynch and ask his support of SB 312 (more details on the bill can be found in previous blog entries). To see a recent media story on the issue, please click here.

To contact Governor Lynch, please click here.

The OAC often points out to legislators, government officials and employers that the economic costs of obesity are substantial and that one of the reasons for addressing the obesity epidemic through both prevention and treatment is the lowering of such costs. A recent MSN article did a good job at looking at these costs including many areas outside of healthcare. Click here to see the article. 

Feel free to share with us if you think the author of the MSN article missed any areas that would be impacted, and how your obesity (or the treatment of it) affected your personal costs.

As many of you are aware, access to obesity management services in the U.S. can be very difficult at times. Here at the OAC we’ve heard from individuals throughout the U.S. that traveled outside of the U.S. to receive weight-loss surgery at a lower cost. Some of the stories have been positive and some have been negative. In order to get a better picture of this situation, we sought out more information on traveling abroad for weight-loss surgery.  OAC Board of Director Member, Julie M. Hill-Janeway, BBA, MSA, JD, ABD/PhD and OAC Advisory Board Member Karen Sparks, MBE researched this topic further. To learn more about their views on seeking surgery abroad, please click here.

• Have you had surgery abroad?

• What were your experiences?

• Have you had difficulties accessing post-surgery care or complications?

Recently, the media has focused on bariatric surgery as a treatment for diabetes. As diabetes is a major co-morbid condition associated with obesity and morbid obesity, it is important for all methods of treatment to be explored. 

• How have you treated your diabetes?
• Has your weight-loss affected your diabetes?

 In the latest issue of OAC News, we discuss bariatric surgery as a treatment option for diabetes. If you would like to view this article, please click here. For further information, this Sunday evening, April 20, CBS’ 60 Minutes will feature a segment, titled “The Bypass Effect on Diabetes, Cancer.” The segment will feature commentary from OAC Advisory Board Member Neil Hutcher, MD. Click here for more information.

• UPDATE: Click here to view the CBS 60 Minutes video, titled “The Bypass Effect.”

A number of states are engaging in legislative action regarding obesity. Some are resolutions highlighting the need for more action in terms of prevention and treatment, and some are bills seeking to create or study access to the treatments of obesity (in most cases, specifically bariatric surgery). I would like to take a moment and highlight a number that require action and support from all of you. 

• New Hampshire: As reported previously on this blog (please see other postings), New Hampshire Legislator, Robert Clegg, who is also a successful weight-loss surgery patient, is seeking to require that all insurers regulated by the State of New Hampshire cover bariatric surgery. See previous posts below on how you can contact legislators to support this legislation.

• Kansas: Legislation has been introduced (HB 2672) which would require the state to study adding bariatric surgery coverage to the state employee plan as well as their small business and high-risk pools. This legislation can be viewed by visiting: http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2008/2672.pdf. The OAC urges all of our Kansas members to reach out to their Governor and urge that she sign this legislation which has been approved by both the House and Senate. You can email Governor Sebelius by visiting the following link: http://www.governor.ks.gov/comments/comment.htm . UPDATE: Governor Sebelius signs HB 2672 (click here for details).

• Louisiana: Legislation has been introduced (HB 384) that would require that the surgical treatment of morbid obesity be covered under the state employee benefits plan. The legislation can be viewed by visiting: http://www.legis.state.la.us/billdata/streamdocument.asp?did=467066. The OAC urges all of its Louisiana members to support of this legislation by writing members of the Committee on Appropriations. A list of committee members can be found by visiting: http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Cmtes/H_Cmte_AP.asp

• Florida and Utah: These two states recently passed resolutions for obesity awareness days and months. Both urged increased prevention and treatment efforts under both non-binding resolutions. The OAC strongly supported these efforts. For more information on the Florida resolution, please click here. The Utah resolution can be found at: http://le.utah.gov/~2008/bills/sbillenr/scr001.pdf

As you can see from the above, it really is a busy time on the legislative front. If obesity related issues come up in your state, we urge you to let us know about it and take action. All of the above legislation is important whether or not it directly impacts you, please take a moment to write your legislators and make a difference. 

Joseph Nadglowski, Jr., OAC President and CEO

The NH House Commerce Committee is holding a public hearing on SB 312 (relative to requiring health insurers to cover treatment for morbid obesity) on Tuesday, April 8th at 11am in Room 302 of the Legislative Office Building in Concord. SB 312 would mandate insurers to cover bariatric surgery in cases where an obese individual had unsuccessfully taken medically advised measures to reduce their weight. SB 312 passed the NH Senate in a 21-3 vote.  

The House Commerce Committee sent a similar bill (requiring bariatric surgery for those who are morbidly obese with type II diabetes) to study. The House Commerce Committee members need information to understand that bariatric surgery is a successful procedure for those affected and the reassurance that their voting constituents will understand that this is an insurance mandate that lowers medical costs in the long run for these patients.

• If you would like to share your opinion or voice your concerns, please contact the House Commerce Committee by clicking here.

The OAC has recently received disturbing accounts of obese/morbidly obese people being targeted in various social environments due to their weight. The individual is targeted as part of a joke or game. Once the individual participates in the game, photos/videos are posted on the Internet or social networking sites which further harasses the person. 

• Has this happened to you or someone you know?

If so, please contact the OAC at info@obesityaction.org to discuss the situation further.Note: All discussions concerning this topic will remain anonymous and will not be posted on the OAC Web site or the OAC Blog.

Recently, media stories have focused on various celebrities that have regained weight after losing a dramatic amount through surgery or other treatment options. What are your thoughts on the media’s portrayal of celebrities and their struggles with weight issues?

• Have you experienced weight regain?
• Have your friends, family or co-workers criticized you?

A bill being introduced in the state of Massachusetts would ban discrimination based on weight and height. To date, Michigan is the only state that has such a bill. The article briefly discusses a point of view from the opponents of it saying companies may become less competiveness when it comes to hiring job candidates as they may fear discrimination-based lawsuits.

• Do you think a law like this would help reduce discrimination?
• Have you ever been discriminated against in your job or when applying for a job?

Click here for the full story.

Recently, ABC News ran a story, titled “’You are so fat!’ The story focused on obesity discrimination in a verbal form. In a controlled experiment, ABC News instructed different actors to verbally abuse an obese woman sitting on a boardwalk. The results were very interesting as many people did not intervene, but few did.

• What does this say for those affected by this disease?
• What does it say for the general public?
• What does it mean to you?
• Would you say something?
• Have you ever experienced obesity-related verbal abuse? If so, did someone say something?

Share your thoughts with us. To view the full story, please click here.