News Release

July 16, 2004

Media Contact: (202) 789-5200

Medicare Gets Fatter Fighting Obesity
Reclassification of obesity will create new Medicare entitlements

WASHINGTON--A move by the federal Medicare program yesterday will open the door for federal coverage of obesity-related conditions. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it was dropping language from its policies that led the agency to deny coverage for weight-loss treatment. Radley Balko, Cato Institute policy analyst, made the following comments:

"Yesterday, the federal Medicare program made the obesity problem a whole lot worse. By treating obesity as a 'illness,' the federal government added a slew of new entitlements to the Medicare program, all of which will be funded by U.S. taxpayers. Americans who make healthy decisions about nutrition and exercise will soon be subsidizing those who don't, with diet programs (even the best of which fail at rates of 95 percent), health club memberships, and experimental procedures such as gastro-bypass surgery. Given that private insurers generally follow Medicare's lead, the decision will also likely lead to higher health insurance premiums for all Americans. The decision also further moves the very private matter of weight out of the realm of personal responsibility and into the realm of 'public health.'

"In most cases obesity isn't a disease. It's a condition that's both treatable and preventable, usually without drugs, doctors, or hospitals. American taxpayers shouldn't be asked to foot the bill for the obesity problem. Decisions about weight, diet, and exercise are ultimately private concerns, the consequences of which should be borne by the individual Americans who make them."

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