Choose Healthy Life Applauds Biden-Harris Administration for Expanding Medicare and Medicaid Coverage of Obesity Treatments
The announcement will expand coverage through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
November 27 - Choose Healthy Life (CHL), a nonprofit faith-based organization dedicated to increasing access to health services through the Black church, commends the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic decision to expand Medicare and Medicaid coverage to include obesity treatments such as FDA-approved anti-obesity medications. This critical step underscores the importance of expanding access to care for millions of Americans, particularly in Black communities that have long faced barriers and lack of access to receiving effective treatment for chronic conditions like obesity.
“This announcement is a tremendous victory for the communities we serve,” said Rev. Kimberly L. Williams, Choose Healthy Life Executive Director. “At Choose Healthy Life, we’ve been on the ground, working tirelessly to bridge the gap between faith and healthcare in underserved communities. Through our network of Black churches and trained Health Navigators, we’ve seen firsthand how critical access to care is in preventing and managing chronic diseases like obesity. This announcement by the Biden-Harris Administration will have a profound impact on the lives of millions of individuals and signifies important progress.”
This victory builds momentum for ongoing efforts to pass the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA). CHL has been a strong advocate of TROA, recognizing it as a pivotal measure that addresses the urgent need for comprehensive obesity care, including access to anti-obesity medications (AOM) for underserved populations. The obesity epidemic disproportionately affects Black Americans, with nearly half of Black adults — including 60% of Black women — living with obesity. By expanding access to treatment, TROA has the potential to improve healthcare outcomes for millions.
“The proposal to cover GLP-1 medications under Medicare and Medicaid is a lifeline to our communities,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, Choose Healthy Life Medical Advisory Board Member and board-certified obesity physician. “By making these effective treatments more accessible, we can save millions of lives and reduce long-term complications and costs from obesity-related diseases.”
Neglecting to address obesity imposes extraordinary costs, both personally and societally, and disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. Today’s announcement demonstrates a meaningful commitment to addressing these disparities and ensuring that all individuals, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, have the opportunity to live healthy lives.
About Choose Healthy Life
Choose Healthy Life (CHL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to health services through the Black church by funding, establishing, and training a trusted faith-based Health Navigator in each church to educate, deliver, and connect the community to much-needed health services. Founded in 2021, CHL funded 120 churches across 13 states. Since, we’ve conducted over 8,900 events, vaccinated, tested, & distributed kits to over 340,000 individuals, and screened over 15,000 for comprehensive health risks. CHL's Health Navigators are focused on addressing the underlying lack of access to health services in their respective communities, in an effort to help individuals take control of their health.
For more information, please visit choosehealthylife.org.
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