Prepared by Christopher Gallagher, ASMBS Washington Representative

On June 12, 2018, the American Medical Association’s (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD) approved a resolution drafted by the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA), entitled “Removing Barriers to Obesity Treatment.” The OMA succeeded in their efforts because OMA delegates Dr. Ethan Lazarus and Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford lined up a number of supporting groups, including the Colorado delegation, the Minority Affairs Section, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American…

Read More

Prepared by Christopher Gallagher, ASMBS Washington Representative

At the time of this report, the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA) was aggressively campaigning to secure support and passage for Resolution 201 (A-18), entitled “Removing Barriers to Obesity Treatment.” To date, the OMA has lined up a number of supporting groups, including the Colorado delegation, the Minority Affairs Section, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the Endocrine Society, American College of…

Read More

Prepared by Christopher Gallagher, ASMBS Washington Representative

On April 23, the Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) submitted comments in response to the February 21, 2018 proposed regulations that the Trump Administration released regarding short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans.

According to the proposed regulations, the rule would amend the definition of short-term, limited-duration insurance to include those offering a maximum coverage period of less than 12 months and that “this action is being taken to lengthen…

Read More

Prepared by Christopher Gallagher, ASMBS Washington Representative

On March 19, 2018, fifteen members groups of the Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) submitted a joint comment letter to the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) regarding the Task Force’s February 20th draft recommendation statement on “Behavioral Weight Loss Interventions to Prevent Obesity-Related Morbidity and Mortality in Adults.”

Citing the critical need for a multidisciplinary treatment approach to obesity following diagnosis, OCAN urged the USPSTF to…

Read More

Prepared by Christopher Gallagher, ASMBS Washington Representative

Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) leaders decided during their December face-to-face meeting that Tuesday, February 27, 2018 will be the date for OCAN’s second annual Advocacy Day. More than 120 OCAN members participated in the February 2017 Advocacy Day — visiting 150 congressional offices to encourage support for the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA). To date, 143 members of Congress are supporting TROA.

Next year’s OCAN Advocacy…

Read More

Prepared by Christopher Gallagher, ASMBS Washington Representative

From Monday – Friday, October 30 – November 3, 2017, Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) advocates took to Capitol Hill to educate Congress about the goals of National Obesity Care Week (NOCW). That we as a country must change the way we care about obesity by elevating societal awareness of the disease of obesity, those affected by it, its science-based treatments and weight bias. These efforts pushed the…

Read More

Public Service Announcement from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) regarding Discontinuation of the Ethicon Endo-Surgery Curved Adjustable Gastric Band (Realize/Swedish/SAGB)

Adjustable gastric banding (AGB) is an FDA and ASMBS approved bariatric surgery treatment. Ethicon Endo-Surgery ® has announced that they will discontinue manufacturing of the Curved Adjustable Gastric Band ® at the end of 2016. In order to facilitate protection of patient safety in the United States, ASMBS is releasing this…

Read More

Originally published in December/January Issue of Connect.

Spanning topics ranging from weight discrimination to overcoming obesity to why obesity is a disease, It Starts Now, the first national film and video contest sponsored by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), received roughly 25 entries before announcing its winners at the Balasco Theater in Los Angeles, California during ObesityWeek 2015. Entries were sought that creatively inspired, motivated and/or educated the public about issues…

Read More

GAINESVILLE, FL – Nov. 5, 2015 – The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and groups including The Obesity Society (TOS) and Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), filed a complaint this month with U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) claiming the 27 states that deny coverage for bariatric surgery are in non-compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and that their failure to comply is discriminatory against women and people with disabilities,…

Read More

Prepared by Christopher Gallagher, ASMBS Washington Representative

On Friday, Oct. 23, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) issued a FAQ, which advises against coverage exclusions for weight management as part of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The effort is a win for obesity treatment coverage, resulting from efforts by the Obesity Care Continuum and our partners.

The question related to weight management is as follows:

Q6: My non-grandfathered group health plan…

Read More