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Coverage for Obesity Prevention and Treatment: Analysis of State Employee Health Plans and Use of Benefits by Samuel Hughes; William H. Dietz; Christine Gallagher is a Medicine article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Coverage for Obesity Prevention and Treatment: Analysis of State Employee Health Plans and Use of Benefits about?

## Abstract ## Objective Using data from 2017, the authors have previously examined the coverage of obesity‐related services in state employee health plans since 2009 and found improvements in coverage for obesity‐related treatments. This study repeated the collection of similar data for 2021 and explored whether coverage had continued to increase or decline. ## Methods Data on obesity benefits for state employees were obtained from publicly available documents from relevant state websites. Source documents were reviewed for language that would indicate the availability of coverage for nutritional counseling, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery. Use data were collected when available, but availability was limited. ## Results Coverage for some treatments of obesity continued to trend upward, as was the case between 2009 and 2017, but coverage for pharmacotherapy declined from 2017 to 2021. Use data were received from only eight states; analysis of these data indicated underuse of obesity benefits by plan enrollees compared with each state's rate of obesity. ## Conclusions Despite promising new therapies, states in 2021 were less likely to provide coverage for antiobesity medicati

Who reads Coverage for Obesity Prevention and Treatment: Analysis of State Employee Health Plans and Use of Benefits?

Author

Samuel Hughes; William H. Dietz; Christine Gallagher

Publisher

Wiley

Published

2022

Language

EN

Field

Medicine (Health Sciences)