Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Reducing Obesity Risks During Childhood: The Role Of Public And Private Health Insurance, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Sara E. Wilensky, Marisa A. Cox, D. Brad Wright

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

In a widely publicized decision issued in 2004, the United States Department of Health and Human Services removed language from the Medicare Coverage Issues Manual which stated that obesity is not an illness, a pronouncement that paves the way for Medicare coverage of evidence-based obesity treatments. This determination by HHS also has important implications for public and private insurance coverage of health care services and interventions that have the potential to reduce the risk of lifelong obesity in children.

This Report assesses the implications of the 2004 HHS obesity ruling into the context of public and private health insurance for …