Delaware Medicaid program to cover obesity treatment visits in 2019
Meredith Newman
The state's Medicaid program will cover treatment visits for people struggling with obesity in 2019 with the hopes it will improve health outcomes for Delawareans.
The Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance is one of nine founding members of My Healthy Weight, a national initiative targeted to fight obesity. This concept was developed by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the Bipartisan Policy Center.
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Starting January 2019, people who qualify for Medicaid and have a body mass index of 30 or higher will have access to at least 12 visits a year with a healthcare professional.
People with a BMI of 25 or higher or who have cardiovascular health risks will be able to see a medical professional for at least six hours every year. And those who qualify will be eligible for local programs that focus on obesity prevention and treatment.
Children who have high BMIs and are at-risk for obesity will also have access to regular visits with experts.
The adult obesity rate in Delaware is 30.7 percent, which is the 23rd highest in the country, according to a report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The obesity rate has more than doubled in the state in recent decades. And as a result, so have hypertension and diabetes rates.
About two-thirds of residents are at an unhealthy weight and half of Delawareans don't get regular physical activity, state health officials said. The annual medical cost of obesity is about $210 billion in the U.S.
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Health experts attribute Delaware's obesity problem to the combination of a person's environment, a sedentary lifestyle and one's sugar intake.
The state's Medicaid program will also cover community-based programs that have shown to help adults lose 5 percent of their body weight and help children reduce their BMIs.
Since poverty is "the number one" social determinant of health, this initiative is an important step in preventing and treating obesity in Delaware, Dr. Kara Odom Walker, secretary of the state's Department of Health and Social Services, said in a news release.
“With obesity and diabetes at epidemic rates in our state, My Healthy Weight offers us a way to provide consistent coverage to support healthy weight change and bring down our statewide rates,” she said.
Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @merenewman.