The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is stepping up the country's fight against obesity by adding Medicare coverage for preventive services to help reduce the epidemic. The new benefit will cover screening for obesity and counseling for eligible beneficiaries.
"Obesity is a challenge faced by Americans of all ages, and prevention is crucial for the management and elimination of obesity in our country," said CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, MD, in a statement. "It's important for Medicare patients to enjoy access to appropriate screening and preventive services."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the national medical costs of obesity in the United States are about $147 billion in 2008 dollars. In CMS' press release about the new obesity screening and counseling benefit, it was noted that more than 30 percent of the Medicare population is estimated to be obese.
[See also: CDC: Annual medical costs of obesity may be as high as $147B.]
The new benefit covers obesity screening and counseling by primary care providers in settings such as physicians' offices. Those who screen for a body mass index meeting a specific threshold may receive one face-to-face counseling visit per week for one month followed by one face-to-face counseling visit every other week for an additional five months. If beneficiaries receiving counseling reduce their weight by at least 6.6 pounds during the first six months of counseling, they will be eligible for one face-to-face counseling visit every month for an additional six months.
"This decision is an important step in aligning Medicare's portfolio of preventive services with evidence and addressing risk factors for disease," said Patrick Conway, MD, MSc, CMS chief medical officer and director of the agency's Office of Clinical Standards and Quality, in a statement.
[See also: Treating morbidly obese patients adds considerable cost.]
Obesity is related to many chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The CDC found that direct medical costs associated with obesity include preventive, diagnostic and treatment services and indirect costs include value of income lost due to decreased productivity, restricted activity, absenteeism and future income lost from premature death.
"Addressing the prevention of obesity related disparities has the potential to reduce obesity prevalence while also closing the gap on health disparities among Medicare beneficiaries," noted the CMS press release about the new benefit.
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