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Marianne Moore is a Maine state senator, representing all of Washington County and part of Hancock County. She serves on the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services.
Maine is facing a health crisis of epidemic proportions.
According to the National Institutes of Health, chronic diseases, including obesity, have reached a crisis level in Maine. Chronic disease is now the leading cause of death in the state, and we rank ninth in the country overall in this category.
Nearly one in three adult Mainers are obese — a threefold increase since 1992. According to the Maine Obesity Advisory Council, obesity increases the risk for developing additional, life-altering chronic health conditions, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, asthma and stroke. It also makes people more prone to cancer, anxiety and depression, and Alzheimer’s is more likely among adults with obesity.
People are dying — and other diseases are made worse — because we are taking an outdated and wrong approach to treatments for obesity. Incredible medical progress has created new treatments to help people fight obesity, but for many, they are out of reach. The drugs are expensive and not covered by health insurance.
The Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has a rule that is currently under consideration that would expand Medicare Part D to include coverage of anti-obesity medicines. Allowing Medicare to cover anti-obesity medicines will both save the program billions of dollars and improve the lives of millions of Americans, including thousands of Mainers.
My neighbors depend on Medicare, and they should have access to medicine that can make them healthier and improve their lives. That’s common sense. Obesity creates a terrible burden for families and businesses. The direct medical costs alone total more than $450 million every year. At the national level, the impact is estimated at nearly $1.5 trillion.
That’s an unimaginable amount of money.
Medicare covers treatment for other chronic diseases. Obesity should be no different. Additionally, members of Congress and federal employees receive coverage for obesity medicine. Our seniors should too.
We have strong, influential voices from our state, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the former chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, where she’s worked hard to improve treatments for Alzheimer’s, diabetes and other chronic conditions.
With her willingness to work with the rest of Maine’s delegation and lawmakers from around the country and on both sides of the aisle, I believe this proposed change in Medicare coverage can become a reality.
I believe government can still do things to help Maine people, and I know that Medicare is one of the most trusted and successful programs ever created. It’s past time that it covers anti-obesity medicines and takes real steps toward confronting this chronic disease.
