The Challenge of Treating and Preventing Obesity | OAS Episode 272

Nearly 40% of the U.S. population is living with obesity, and it is estimated that obesity costs the U.S. economy billions every year in medical costs, lost productivity and other costs. While people living with obesity were often seen as lacking the willpower to lose weight, the condition has been classified as a medical condition for more than a decade. On this episode, our guests discuss the issue from different perspectives, all of which bear on state policy decisions that aim to prevent and treat obesity. They include  Tim Dall,  executive director of Life Sciences Consulting at GlobalData Plc and an expert of the economic effects of chronic diseases; Representative Ed Oliver, a Republican of Alabama and chair of the Chronic Weight Management and Type 2 Diabetes Task Force; Representative Marjorie Decker, a Democrat from Massachusetts and chair of the Public Health Committee; and Dr. Tracy Norfleet, is a physician specializing in obesity medicine. Dall explained what the research tells us about the cost of obesity to the economy and how it affects the nation’s workforce. Dr. Norfleet offered her perspective on the rise of both prevention and treatment strategies for obesity as well as the stigma that still exists toward those living with obesity both in society generally and in the healthcare field. Representatives Oliver and Decker  discussed how their states are grappling with what type of health insurance coverage to offer both state employees and those in their state’s Medicaid programs. Resources • Lawmakers Grapple With GLP-1 Access and Affordability (https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatur...) , NCSL • Taking the Long View on GLP-1 Drugs and Obesity Treatment, (https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatur...) NCSL