California Healthcare Institute Official Says Covering Obesity Treatments Under Medicare Could Cut Costs
Altering federal rules to allow Medicare Part D to cover drugs designed to treat obesity could result in significant cost savings for California and other states across the U.S., Jennifer Nieto Carey, CHI director of federal government relations and alliance development, writes in an opinion piece in The Hill's "Congress Blog." Noting that about 25% of California's adult population is affected by obesity, Nieto writes, "As Congress seeks to reduce the cost of health care spending, increasing access to medications that will help halt one of the most costly chronic health conditions just makes good economic and public health sense."
- "Why Won't Medicare Cover Effective Obesity Drugs," (Nieto Carey, "Congress Blog," The Hill, 9/19).