Obesity Action Coalition Blog

Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) President and CEO Joseph Nadglowski joined leaders from the Center for Science and the Public Interest and the American Medical Association to present a briefing on the childhood obesity epidemic in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, July 30. The briefing focused on the scope of the obesity epidemic, guidelines on preventing and treating obesity and novel ways to encourage exercise among children.

A recent study has made headlines across the U.S. about the rising obesity rates and predictions for the future of our health. The story received both positive and negative criticism through the media. To view the story, please click here.

What are your thoughts on this story?
Do you agree with the study? Why or why not?

Have you been denied treatment due to insurance company dictated requirements or an exclusion of coverage? If so, the OAC encourages you to share this information with us.   

Please let us know: 
1.  Why you were denied and what treatment you sought?
2.   Were you able to appeal the denial?  Was it successful?
3.  If unsuccessful, did you pay for the treatment on your own or are you still being denied care? 

Even if you have ultimately received treatment, we do want to hear details on the “roadblocks” that you may have experience. All responses will be kept strictly confidential. Please e-mail to info@obesityaction.org.

On Tuesday, July 15, New Hampshire Governor John Lynch decided to allow a bill targeting access to care for the morbidly obese to become a law. The new law will allow those who qualify to receive weight-loss surgery. The law will go into effect in 60 days from Tuesday, July 15.

To read a news report, please click here.

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) would like to thank Senator Bob Clegg, a weight-loss surgery patient, for leading the effort in advocating for access to care and all of those who advocated for this legislation. If you are interested in contacting your state legislator for access to care in your state, please click here for more information.

The OAC is seeking to collect stories from individuals who were on Medicare, Medicaid and/or Social Security Disability before receiving treatment for their obesity, and now no longer require these public programs after their weight-loss. If you no longer have Social Security Disability, we would also like to know if you are working and paying taxes into the federal system. Whether your weight-loss was through bariatric surgery or other obesity interventions, we want to hear from you.

We are collecting information to share with public officials on how intentional obesity interventions not only save lives, but potentially save (and make) monies as well by returning people to the work force and eliminating their requiring of public programs.

All responses will be kept strictly confidential.  Please e-mail your story to info@obesityaction.org.

Recently, the OAC was contacted by two members from the state of New Jersey who are advocating for access to care in their state. As the OAC continually encourages patient advocacy, we encourage you to read the member’s email below and if you are interested in getting involved in their efforts, please email the OAC at info@obesityaction.org. 

OAC Member Email:
My husband and I are bariatric patient’s (roux-en-Y). He was on the panel of the recent March 2008 “The Bypass Effect” on 60-Minutes having had his diabetes cured by bypass. We were introduced to a public relations official at the 60-Minutes taping that was working in the interest of Senator Van Clegg regarding a Bill in New Hampshire requiring insurance companies to pay for weight-loss surgery. This Bill passed senate vote in New Hampshire in March 2008. My husband and I struggled to get our weight-loss surgery covered by our insurance company for five years even though we suffered many serious co-morbidities including diabetes and malignant hypertension.  

I took the New Hampshire Bill to my New Jersey representative, Senator Van Drew, to see if I could get this Bill rewritten and initiated in New Jersey. According to New Jersey laws, since there is already a law in place stating that insurance companies are bound by law to approve “medically necessary” procedures, the New Hampshire Bill would not be appropriate in New Jersey. This law did not seem to stop three different insurance companies from denying our procedure for five years.

I am working with Senator Van Drew’s office at this time to draft a Bill to make a standard across the board that insurance companies have to abide by in approving bariatric/weight-loss surgery.  In working on passing any Bill in any state we have a voice in numbers. If anybody reading this blog has had trouble getting his/her weight-loss surgery approved in the State of New Jersey, I would appreciate hearing your story. Your situation can help us make sure the Bill we draft and send to congress in New Jersey is written to the benefit of ALL state residents that have struggled with medical insurance approval.