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. 

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.”