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By the Numbers

11.02.21 Letter to CMS re TROA Final.pdf

To the Honorable Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
Administrator
Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services
<blockquote>
As the sponsors of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (H.R. 1577/S. 596), we write to urge you to use your regulatory authority to give seniors access to Food &amp; Drug Administration (FDA) approved anti-obesity medications (AOMs) and to improve access to Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT) for obesity. We are hopeful that CMS will not only recognize the devastating impact that COVID-19 is having on the health outcomes of so many Americans living with obesity, but also the disproportionate toll obesity is having on communities of color. As such, we hope that CMS will use its resources to update Medicare&#x27;s coverage policies to provide comprehensive coverage for effective therapies to treat obesity.
</blockquote>

Comments: House and Senate Sponsors Urge CMS to Implement TROA Provisions

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.
<hr/>
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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In a&nbsp;<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.opm.gov_healthcare-2Dinsurance_healthcare_carriers_2022_2022-2D03.pdf&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&amp;r=-UdYOwyX-lELdD-Jv18_qUqcRyuA80xOhb_0YqwYHyk&amp;m=371Lm6tDMOf3Ad8JDkYc86DtVB5cokOPUBM1IlLo2oM&amp;s=rcoB7-F1xZed36rEEpvvrvYThyZFvrWGFY3u6-Pbtgo&amp;e=">February 17, 2022 carrier letter,</a> the Federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) spelled out specific guidance for health insurance carriers that administer Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) plans — "clarifying that FEHB Carriers are not allowed to exclude anti-obesity medications from coverage based on a benefit&nbsp;exclusion or a carve out”… and that "FEHB Carriers must have adequate coverage of FDA approved anti-obesity medications (AOMs) on the&nbsp;formulary to meet patient needs and must include their exception process within their proposal.” &nbsp; In rolling out this new guidance, OPM is quite clear — emphasizing that "obesity has long been recognized as a disease in the US that impacts children and adults"… and that "obesity is a complex, multifactorial,&nbsp;common, serious, relapsing, and costly chronic disease that serves as a major risk factor for developing conditions such as heart&nbsp;disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, renal&nbsp;disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and certain types of cancer.” &nbsp; In&nbsp;<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.opm.gov_healthcare-2Dinsurance_healthcare_carriers_2014_2014-2D04.pdf&amp;d=DwMGaQ&amp;c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&amp;r=-UdYOwyX-lELdD-Jv18_qUqcRyuA80xOhb_0YqwYHyk&amp;m=371Lm6tDMOf3Ad8JDkYc86DtVB5cokOPUBM1IlLo2oM&amp;s=vBNiN4v17GF6ueyWak8G2ZpfnYiKlBL6uSRSWMdUWYI&amp;e=">2014</a>, OPM encouraged carriers to cover obesity treatments and prohibited plans from excluding coverage based on the carrier’s belief that obesity is a lifestyle condition or that treatment is cosmetic. Despite this nudge from OPM for FEHB Carriers to get their act together, many plans continue to exclude or carve out coverage for AOMs. Many leaders from the Obesity Care Continuum and STOP Obesity Alliance who have worked with OPM for nearly a decade on this issue are hopeful that this new guidance will have a catalytic effect on other public and private health plans to provide comprehensive coverage for 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+

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