Initiative Offers Coverage for Obesity Prevention Visits

Nearly a million children would gain health insurance coverage for weight-management counseling under an obesity prevention initiative spearheaded by former President Bill Clinton.

As part of the initiative, a group of health insurers and employers have agreed to pay for at least four follow-up visits to a child's primary care physician and four visits with a registered dietitian for children aged 3-18 years whose body mass index is in the 85th percentile or above for their age.

Participating insurers include Aetna Inc., Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and WellPoint Inc. Also, PepsiCo. Inc., Houston Independent School District, Owens Corning, and Paychex Inc. will offer these benefits to their employees. President Clinton announced the agreement in New York last month at a press conference.

The initiative is the latest obesity prevention effort from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an organization launched jointly in 2005 by the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association. “This landmark agreement will allow children and their families to have access to important preventive medical services in most regions of the country,” said Dr. Tim J. Gardner, AHA president.

Research shows that overweight and obese children have up to an 80% chance of being so as adults, putting them at higher risk for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even certain types of cancer, he said.

As part of the agreement reached with insurers and employers, nearly a million children are expected to gain access to new obesity prevention and treatment benefits during the first year of the initiative. But the long-term goal is to reach 6.2 million children—about a quarter of all overweight and obese children in the United States—within 3 years as more insurers and employers agree to participate.

During the first year of the initiative, insurers will collect health outcomes information and cost data to help determine the cost-effectiveness of certain approaches and identify best practices. “We need to know what really works here,” President Clinton said.

This new initiative takes the important step of removing the barriers that limit insurance payment for obesity prevention in the primary care setting, said Dr. David T. Tayloe Jr., president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, adding that it can be difficult for pediatricians to bill insurers for obesity counseling, and there has been a lot of confusion about what is covered.

Obesity can be successfully treated in the office, but pediatricians can't do it by themselves, Dr. Tayloe said. For example, physicians in his rural North Carolina practice work with registered dietitians and partner with community organizations like the YMCA to give obese patients and their families a comprehensive program of nutrition and fitness advice, and health assessments.

“To see successful long-term results, there must be an ongoing relationship involving patient, family, pediatrician, dietitian, and widespread community support,” Dr. Tayloe said.

This agreement will allow families 'to have access to important preventative medical services.' DR. GARDNER

Nearly a million children would gain health insurance coverage for weight-management counseling under an obesity prevention initiative spearheaded by former President Bill Clinton.

As part of the initiative, a group of health insurers and employers have agreed to pay for at least four follow-up visits to a child's primary care physician and four visits with a registered dietitian for children aged 3-18 years whose body mass index is in the 85th percentile or above for their age.

Participating insurers include Aetna Inc., Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and WellPoint Inc. Also, PepsiCo. Inc., Houston Independent School District, Owens Corning, and Paychex Inc. will offer these benefits to their employees. President Clinton announced the agreement in New York last month at a press conference.

The initiative is the latest obesity prevention effort from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an organization launched jointly in 2005 by the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association. “This landmark agreement will allow children and their families to have access to important preventive medical services in most regions of the country,” said Dr. Tim J. Gardner, AHA president.

Research shows that overweight and obese children have up to an 80% chance of being so as adults, putting them at higher risk for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even certain types of cancer, he said.

As part of the agreement reached with insurers and employers, nearly a million children are expected to gain access to new obesity prevention and treatment benefits during the first year of the initiative. But the long-term goal is to reach 6.2 million children—about a quarter of all overweight and obese children in the United States—within 3 years as more insurers and employers agree to participate.

During the first year of the initiative, insurers will collect health outcomes information and cost data to help determine the cost-effectiveness of certain approaches and identify best practices. “We need to know what really works here,” President Clinton said.

This new initiative takes the important step of removing the barriers that limit insurance payment for obesity prevention in the primary care setting, said Dr. David T. Tayloe Jr., president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, adding that it can be difficult for pediatricians to bill insurers for obesity counseling, and there has been a lot of confusion about what is covered.

Obesity can be successfully treated in the office, but pediatricians can't do it by themselves, Dr. Tayloe said. For example, physicians in his rural North Carolina practice work with registered dietitians and partner with community organizations like the YMCA to give obese patients and their families a comprehensive program of nutrition and fitness advice, and health assessments.

“To see successful long-term results, there must be an ongoing relationship involving patient, family, pediatrician, dietitian, and widespread community support,” Dr. Tayloe said.

This agreement will allow families 'to have access to important preventative medical services.' DR. GARDNER

Nearly a million children would gain health insurance coverage for weight-management counseling under an obesity prevention initiative spearheaded by former President Bill Clinton.

As part of the initiative, a group of health insurers and employers have agreed to pay for at least four follow-up visits to a child's primary care physician and four visits with a registered dietitian for children aged 3-18 years whose body mass index is in the 85th percentile or above for their age.

Participating insurers include Aetna Inc., Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and WellPoint Inc. Also, PepsiCo. Inc., Houston Independent School District, Owens Corning, and Paychex Inc. will offer these benefits to their employees. President Clinton announced the agreement in New York last month at a press conference.

The initiative is the latest obesity prevention effort from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an organization launched jointly in 2005 by the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association. “This landmark agreement will allow children and their families to have access to important preventive medical services in most regions of the country,” said Dr. Tim J. Gardner, AHA president.

Research shows that overweight and obese children have up to an 80% chance of being so as adults, putting them at higher risk for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even certain types of cancer, he said.

As part of the agreement reached with insurers and employers, nearly a million children are expected to gain access to new obesity prevention and treatment benefits during the first year of the initiative. But the long-term goal is to reach 6.2 million children—about a quarter of all overweight and obese children in the United States—within 3 years as more insurers and employers agree to participate.

During the first year of the initiative, insurers will collect health outcomes information and cost data to help determine the cost-effectiveness of certain approaches and identify best practices. “We need to know what really works here,” President Clinton said.

This new initiative takes the important step of removing the barriers that limit insurance payment for obesity prevention in the primary care setting, said Dr. David T. Tayloe Jr., president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, adding that it can be difficult for pediatricians to bill insurers for obesity counseling, and there has been a lot of confusion about what is covered.

Obesity can be successfully treated in the office, but pediatricians can't do it by themselves, Dr. Tayloe said. For example, physicians in his rural North Carolina practice work with registered dietitians and partner with community organizations like the YMCA to give obese patients and their families a comprehensive program of nutrition and fitness advice, and health assessments.

“To see successful long-term results, there must be an ongoing relationship involving patient, family, pediatrician, dietitian, and widespread community support,” Dr. Tayloe said.

This agreement will allow families 'to have access to important preventative medical services.' DR. GARDNER