Doctor wants weight-loss programs funded
September 9, 2004
By Associates Press
A doctor is leading a campaign aimed at requiring insurance
companies to fund programs that would help people lose
weight with exercise programs and diet counseling.
Dr. Caitilin Kelly, a Bloomington physician, said such programs would help to hold down health costs related to obesity.
She told The Indianapolis Star in an interview published Thursday that she is asking members of the Indiana State Medical Association to join her and urge state lawmakers to require private insurance companies, Medicare and Medicaid to pay for such programs.
The medical group, which represents more than 8,000 Indiana physicians, will meet this weekend in Indianapolis and is scheduled to vote on resolutions Sunday.
Kelly said the majority of her patients are overweight and many have diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and orthopedic problems, such as painful joints, backs and hips - all caused by or made worse by excessive weight.
She estimated that as many as 20 percent of her patients could control those conditions if they lost weight, and that the percentage could go higher if patients also quit smoking, exercised and ate a healthy diet.
She said she urges obese patients to join weight-reducing programs and hire personal trainers to ensure they are exercising properly and have the motivation to stick to a program. Kelly wants insurers to pay for such programs - as an investment to avoid much more expensive medical treatment in the future.
"It should save them money in the long run," she said.
She did not have an estimate of how much the coverage for diet and exercise programs could cost in the state.
But in her resolution, Kelly noted that based on current trends, experts predict 95 percent of Americans will be obese by 2040 and that obesity now costs the nation $117 billion annually.
Sen. Patricia L. Miller, R-Indianapolis, chairwoman of the Senate's Health and Provider Services Committee, said she would need more information about the proposal before taking a position on it.
Source:http://seattlepi.nwsource.com
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