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FINAL OCAN response to CBO Blog 11.2.23.pdf

&nbsp;The October 5, 2023, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) blog post calling for new research in obesity highlights the urgent need to implement solutions to address this serious chronic disease. The Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) is pleased that CBO is taking an active interest in evaluating the need for broader patient access to care, including through avenues like the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA), that would address obesity treatment gaps in the Medicare program.As a network of organizations representing people living with obesity, researchers, and the health care providers who care for them, OCAN agrees that we must have more realistic assessments surrounding the costs of obesity. However, denying coverage to older adults and those with disabilities, as more research and data collection is done, is not the answer. Access and research must come hand-and-hand. Additionally, arguments that say we should only cover obesity care if it saves money on health expenses in the short-term are both short-sighted and rooted in bias. Such an approach has never been required for any other chronic disease.Instead of evaluating obesity interventions solely on their ability to save money, we need to build cost models that include all treatment options available. These models should include health outcomes in addition to weight loss like mental health, quality of life, enhanced mobility, reduced joint pain, prevention of type 2 diabetes, decreased cardiovascular disease risk factors, improved sleep, and other related chronic diseases and conditions.For too long, we have held obesity to a different standard. Obesity is a serious chronic disease. It’s time for a more holistic, bias-free approach to obesity care. OCAN looks forward to responding to the CBO request for additional research and helping inform assumptions applied to scoring the cost of enacting TROA based on real world data.

OCAN Responds to CBO Blog Post and Offers to Provide Assistance with Gathering Research

Original Post: <a href="https://conscienhealth.org/2021/10/doubling-covids-toll-mental-health-and-child-obesity/">ConscienHealth</a>
The numbers make it crystal clear. One of the long-term effects of the COVID pandemic will be a jump in childhood obesity. And it’s not hard to trace that back to the mental health of children and families. Late last week a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-053760">new report</a> in Pediatrics provided a stark reminder about the impact of COVID on children. Roughly 140,000 children have lost a primary caregiver to death because of the pandemic. That is 140,000 children who have lost a parent, grandparent, or another loved one who cared for them.
Now let’s recall that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-019-0509-2">adverse childhood experiences</a> are an important trigger for obesity. So the straight line from these devastating losses to the jump in childhood obesity rates is easy to see.
<h4>Unfortunate Complacency About Children and COVID</h4>
Early in the pandemic, some people falsely thought that children were “<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51975377">essentially immune</a>” to COVID. Now we’ve learned how wrong they were. First of all, with the Delta surge, pediatric ICUs have been <a href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/patient-flow/number-of-us-children-hospitalized-with-covid-19-hits-record-dallas-out-of-pediatric-icu-beds.html">filling up</a>. But in addition, the indirect impact on mental and physical health has been drastic.
Obesity prevalence in kids <a href="https://conscienhealth.org/2021/09/more-obesity-in-the-pandemic-kids-yes-adults-iffy/">has clearly grown</a> in the pandemic. Further, COVID has put the mental health of the world’s 2.2 billion children at risk. A new report from the UN tells us that nearly <a href="https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/impact-covid-19-poor-mental-health-children-and-young-people-tip-iceberg#:~:text=1%20in%205%20young%20people%20aged%2015%E2%80%9324%20surveyed%20said%20they%20often%20feel%20depressed%20or%20have%20little%20interest%20in%20doing%20things.">one in five young people</a> often feel depressed or have little interest in life. Children’s hospitals in the U.S. have seen <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/22/health/covid-19-pandemic-mental-health-children/index.html#:~:text=Children%27s%20hospitals%20around%20the%20country%20say%20they%20have%20seen%20a%20meteoric%20rise%20in%20the%20number%20of%20children%20who%20need%20mental%20health%20help">dramatic increases</a> in children seeking mental health services.
Without a doubt, the presumption that COVID was not a threat to children has proven to be terribly wrong.
<h4>Mental Health and Obesity: A Two-Way Street</h4>
The relationship between mental health and obesity goes in two directions. Stress, distress, and adverse childhood experiences can fuel weight gain. On the other side of this link, it’s also clear that obesity can fuel mental health distress. Bullying and social isolation are significant problems for a child living with obesity. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25955676/">Public health messaging</a> that tended to blame children and parents for this metabolic disease has long been a problem.
As just one example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2021.29011.editorial">screening and singling out children with obesity in school</a> was once a popular policy. Research now shows that it offers no benefit while having the potential to do a great deal of harm.
<h4>World Mental Health Day 2021</h4>
Today is World Mental Health Day. The rallying cry is to make mental health care for all a reality. Recognizing the link between obesity and mental health makes this especially important for people living with obesity. Even more so, it is important for children. Let’s resolve to live up to this challenge and take it one step further. Let’s all do our part to stop the harm that weight stigma does to children who are living with obesity.
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Ted Kyle is a pharmacist and health innovator living in Pittsburgh. He is also a tireless advocate for people living with obesity. His widely-read daily commentary, published at <a href="http://conscienhealth.org/news">conscienhealth.org/news</a>, reaches an audience of more than 15,000 thought leaders in health and obesity.

Doubling COVID’s Toll: Mental Health and Obesity

<figure class="image"><img src="https://assets.obesitycareadvocacynetwork.com/image_59ac8bbb35/image_59ac8bbb35.png"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://assets.obesitycareadvocacynetwork.com/image_a95807d3cf/image_a95807d3cf.png"></figure>Thursday, March 3, 2022 | 12:00 PM EasternWatch the Replay Live on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYb4v-v-fi5H9JTm1Tz2hg">YouTube</a>&nbsp;Please join the Obesity Care Advocacy Network on Thursday, March 3 at 12 PM Eastern for a live replay of the 2021 Obesity Care Week Congressional Briefing: Obesity Care, COVID-19, and Communities of Color on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYb4v-v-fi5H9JTm1Tz2hg">OCAN’s YouTube channel</a>.Speakers discuss the importance of the obesity continuum of care and prevention, and how these approaches can address the ties between obesity, COVID-19, and their disproportionate impact on communities of color. Including messages from&nbsp;Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Sen. Bill Cassidy&nbsp;(R-LA) on the importance of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA).<ul><li>When: Thursday, March 3, 2022 at 12:00 PM Eastern</li><li>Where: View the live replay of the briefing on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYb4v-v-fi5H9JTm1Tz2hg">OCAN’s YouTube channel</a></li><li>Moderator: Patty Nece, JD&nbsp;– Board Chair, Obesity Action Coalition and patient advocate</li><li>Speakers:<ul><li>Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, FAAP, FACP, FAHA, FTOS&nbsp;– Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School</li><li>Dr. Donna H. Ryan, MD&nbsp;– Past President, World Obesity Federation</li><li>Dr. Bill Dietz, MD, PhD&nbsp;– Chair, Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness and Director, STOP Obesity Alliance at The George Washington University</li><li>Capt.&nbsp;Heidi&nbsp;Blanck, PhD&nbsp;– Obesity Prevention and Control Branch Chief, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity (DNPAO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)</li></ul></li><li>Messages from Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Sen. Bill Cassidy&nbsp;(R-LA)</li></ul><hr>About the Obesity Care Advocacy NetworkThe Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) is a diverse group of organizations that have come together to change how we perceive and approach obesity in the United States. OCAN envisions a future where obesity is fully recognized and treated as a complex chronic disease.For additional information, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://obesitycareadvocacynetwork.com/.">https://obesitycareadvocacynetwork.com/.</a>&nbsp;DisclaimerOpinions expressed by individuals are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) or its members. Information shared should not be interpreted as medical advice or care. OCAN recommends consulting with a healthcare provider

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REPLAY: OCAN's 2021 Obesity Care Week Briefing: "Obesity Care, COVID-19, and Communities of Color"

<h1>Obesity is a complex chronic disease – OCAN is leading the fight for comprehensive care.</h1>

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OCAN Response to CBO Report on “How Would Authorizing Medicare to Cover Anti-Obesity Medications Affect the Federal Budget?”The Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) appreciates the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) consideration of the critically important issue of expanding Medicare coverage of obesity medications.&nbsp;CBO’s report is an important addition to the conversation around increasing access to obesity treatment for Medicare beneficiaries. The updated cost estimates present a reasonable starting point for projecting the budgetary impact of expanded coverage of obesity medication. Budgetary estimates also recognize that Medicare will experience direct cost savings because of patients receiving better obesity care. However, we are disappointed that the report does not address the role of non-pharmaceutical forms of obesity treatment, such as intensive behavioral therapy, and therefore presents an incomplete picture of the extent of the cost savings.While additional data on the financial impact are always helpful, policymakers must remember that this is, first and foremost, about people’s health. Expanding access to obesity medications and care will empower individuals to live healthier lives—and no one deserves for their life to have a price tag.OCAN is committed to fighting on behalf of people living with obesity and will continue to advocate for expanding patient access to the full continuum of obesity care.”

Obesity is a complex chronic disease – OCAN is leading the fight for comprehensive care.

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By the Numbers

42%

U.S. Adults with Obesity

$170B

Annual Excess Costs of Adult Obesity

230+

Obesity-related Conditions

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