November 16, 2018 — The last few days at ObesityWeek brought us some fascinating insights relating to poverty, stress, and access to obesity care. Presentations here remind us that obesity has a complex relationship with social status. Food security plays a role. Veterans live with a higher risk. And yet, access to effective care is nothing short of bizarre […]
November 8, 2018 — It’s been an ugly election season. Many issues divide our government sharply. But on one point, both Democrats and Republicans seem to agree now. They won’t roll back health insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions. It’s a stroke of good news for people living with obesity. Because it used to be that getting affordable […]
October 30, 2018 — Tech has a very mixed track record in obesity care. Diet apps were early hits. Fitness trackers have a loyal following. The apps are free and the trackers have a lot of gee whiz pizazz. What’s not to like? Unfortunately, proving that they lead to better health outcomes has been tough. But now, in the […]
October 29, 2018 — Would it surprise you to find that only four in a thousand children with leukemia have access to comprehensive cancer care? Of course it would. A total of 98 pediatric cancer centers show up on the U.S. News list of the best hospitals for pediatric cancer. But the story is very different for youth with […]
October 21, 2018 — To improve the quality, access, and utilization of preventive and treatment services for obesity among both children and adults, a group of innovative payers have agreed to take action on a national scale. The My Healthy Weight pledge is a first. It’s the first and only collective initiative offering insurance benefits covering obesity prevention and […]
October 17, 2018 — Yesterday, JAMA published five articles about bariatric surgery. Two new research papers. Three editorials. Taken together they present a picture of the compelling benefits of bariatric surgery in patients with both obesity and diabetes. But they also point to the gap between the reality of bariatric surgery and how we’re dealing with it. Cutting the […]
October 13, 2018 — My struggle with weight began in my early teens. That was when my doctor prescribed a birth control medicine to treat dysmenorrhea. But I didn’t know it would cause massive weight gain and hormone fluctuations. I’ve had to work at overcoming obesity every day of my life since then. One of the hardest things about […]
October 12, 2018 — There’s no gentle way to express this. We suffer from a huge ethical blind spot regarding access to obesity care. Today, as National Obesity Care Week focuses upon access to care, we must acknowledge just how big this gap is. Of course, we focus a lot on the issue of access to obesity treatment. We […]
October 10, 2018 — In 2017, about 1.4 million Americans left the U.S. to obtain medical care. And that number will grow by double digits this year. The reasons are many, but mostly it comes down to money. And a significant number of people are traveling for bariatric surgery. A Shameful History of Discrimination Health plans have long history […]
October 8, 2018 — Diet is a four letter word. People who hate the word like to point out that it starts with die. So it is that more or less everyone agrees dieting does not work for the long term. But this is where the confusion starts. Because sustainable changes to long-term patterns of diet can make a […]
