By Free Republic | Created at 2024-11-29 01:30:59 | Updated at 2024-11-29 03:48:29
2 hours ago
Biden administration pushes anti-obesity drug pressure to Trump
Axios ^ | November 27, 2024 | Tina Reed
Posted on 11/28/2024 5:26:36 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The Biden administration's eleventh hour move to expand Medicare coverage for anti-obesity drugs is likely to be popular among seniors, putting the Trump administration — which would ultimately decide whether to carry out the expansion — in the hot seat.
Why it matters: The buzzy class of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists have been hailed as game changers amid an obesity crisis tied to chronic diseases.
But the drugs are pricey, and insurers, advocacy groups and policymakers warn that opening up coverage for them could be a recipe for runaway costs in an already financially taxed system.
Driving the news: Under current law, Medicare is barred by Congress from covering drugs for weight loss. They're covered only as an optional benefit on state Medicaid plans, and coverage varies by state.
Biden administration officials say they're reinterpreting the statute by addressing obesity as a chronic condition rather than weight loss.
"I have heard from countless people about how this coverage exclusion is a barrier preventing people from treating obesity and living healthier lives," Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a call with reporters.
(Excerpt) Read more at axios.com ...
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: biden; bigfood; bigpharma; medicaid; medicare; obesity; taxes; trump
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Thank you very much and God bless you.
Oh, HELL NO!!! I know obese people and I myself am overweight. There may be a very small contingent of people who are helpless in this regard, but for most of us, if we really examine ourselves, it IS a matter of choice.
Take me: Rather than blaming alcohol, bad food or lousy genes (mother's side), I understand that I CHOOSE to drink the alcohol, and I CHOOSE to eat the bad foods. I can only make a commitment to do better, rather than ask to plunder the taxpayer more for a largely reversible condition.
If you want to feel better, blame others. If you want to GET BETTER, blame yourself.
To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
If you want to feel better, blame others.
That's been my motto and it works!
2 posted on 11/28/2024 5:29:34 PM PST by BipolarBob (Enough of this talk about narcissists, let's get back to talking about me.)
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