More than 65 Organizations Advocate for Coverage of Obesity Care in Open Letter to Leading Employers

The EveryBODY Covered campaign calls on executives to implement guiding principles to better support employees living with obesity  

March 6, 2025 (Washington, DC) — Today, the Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention’s (AWHP) EveryBODY Covered campaign delivered an open letter to executives at top workplaces for women, calling for obesity to be covered by their health plans, just like any other chronic disease. The letter was signed by 68 organizations, representing a diverse and leading group of voices across the healthcare community—such as the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, the Obesity Care Advocacy Network and the National Consumers League.  

The letter highlights the impact obesity has on women—particularly women of color—and the role comprehensive obesity care coverage can play in supporting employees living with obesity. It also outlines three key principles employers can use as a guide for prioritizing obesity in their workplace healthcare and equity strategies, including:   

1. 1. Recognizing obesity as a chronic disease with causes that include those outside an individual’s control. 
   2. Reviewing benefits offerings for opportunities to better support obesity care for employees and communicate coverage as a priority to benefits administrators. 
   3. Working against weight bias at every level of a company and making sure that this is demonstrated through the company’s culture. 

“Employers have been making great strides in supporting employees living with obesity, and we want to see that momentum continue so that even more employees—and especially women—nationwide can access the care they need,” said Millicent Gorham, CEO of AWHP. “Covering obesity care is about prevention. If you prioritize preventing breast cancer, heart disease, mental health issues or hundreds of other diseases, then you should also prioritize obesity care. Employees are eager for obesity to be treated like the chronic disease that it is.” 

In addition to the physical impact, obesity also has social and financial impacts–particularly for women. Women affected by obesity earn as much as 12% less than those not affected by obesity and are less likely to be promoted at work. Further, in an AWHP-commissioned survey released in 2024, one-third of women said that living with obesity impacts their work and career goals, underscoring the essential role that employers can play in reducing the negative effects of obesity on their employees.  

“Obesity not only negatively impacts individuals living with the disease, it has significant costs for employers and places a serious strain on our health system,” said Shawn Gremminger, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. “As employers of all sizes continue to face competing priorities when it comes to supporting the health and well-being of employees, it is imperative that stakeholders across the ecosystem come together to implement sustainable strategies to provide comprehensive care for those living with the chronic disease of obesity.” 

As of last year, about half of employers currently cover or are considering covering medications for obesity. Less than a quarter (22%) of employers believe that obesity is a chronic condition for which obesity management medications should be covered, while just a slightly higher percentage (23%) believe it is a lifestyle condition for which GLP-1 medications should not be covered. 

“We know that obesity is a chronic yet treatable disease and a public health concern that impacts the lives of more than 1 in 3 American women,” said George Huntley, CEO of the Diabetes Leadership Council. “It is critical that everyone—and particularly employers—view obesity with the same lens we view diseases like diabetes and ensure individuals have the support they need to access obesity care options that are right for them.” 

EveryBODY Covered launched in February 2024 as a nationwide effort working in partnership with 20 partner organizations to ensure that everybody has access to needed obesity care, including FDA-approved medications. 

The open letter was signed by the following organizations: 

• Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention 
• Aimed Alliance 
• Alliance for Aging Research 
• Alliance for Patient Access 
• Alliance of Sleep Apnea Partners 
• American Association of Birth Centers 
• American Association of Nurse Practitioners 
• American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 
• American College of Physicians 
• American Kidney Fund 
• American Medical Women’s Association 
• American Nurses Association 
• American Psychological Association 
• American Public Health Association 
• American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery 
• American Society of Preventive Cardiology 
• Association of Black Cardiologists 
• Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses 
• Arthritis Foundation 
• BlackDoctor.org 
• Black Women’s Health Imperative 
• Black Women for Change 
• Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation 
• Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer 
• Caregiver Action Network 
• Center for Patient Advocacy Leaders 
• Color of Gastrointestinal Illnesses 
• ConscienHealth 
• CHC: Creating Healthier Communities 
• DiabetesSisters 
• Diabetes Leadership Council 
• Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition 
• Gerontological Society of America 
• Global Liver Institute 
• GO2 for Lung Cancer 
• Haven Midwifery Collective 
• Health Equity Coalition for Chronic Disease 
• HealthyWomen 
• Heart Sistas Inc. 
• MANA, A National Latina Organization 
• The Mended Hearts, Inc. 
• National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions 
• National Association of Hispanic Nurses 
• National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health 
• National Black Nurses Association 
• National Caucus and Center on Black Aging 
• National Consumers League 
• National Council on Aging 
• National Grange 
• National Hispanic Council on Aging 
• National Hispanic Health Foundation 
• National Medical Association 
• National Menopause Foundation 
• National Rural Health Association 
• National Student Nurses’ Association 
• Obesity Action Coalition 
• Obesity Care Advocacy Network  
• Obesity Medicine Association 
• Obesity Medicine Fellowship Council 
• Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health 
• Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease 
• Prevent Cancer Foundation 
• Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association 
• RetireSafe 
• Society for Women’s Health Research 
• The Obesity Society 
• TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance 
• WomenHeart 

To learn more about EveryBODY Covered, please visit everybodycovered.org and follow the campaign on LinkedIn, X @everybodycvrd, Facebook and Instagram @everybodycovered. 

Support for the EveryBODY Covered campaign has been provided by Eli Lilly & Company.   

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About AWHP 

The Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) non-profit organization working to ensure that all women and girls have access to high-quality preventive care. Our mission is to advance policy that drives equitable access and prevents the burden and progression of disease to improve the lives and health of all women and girls. 

For more information on AWHP, please visit WomensHealthandPrevention.org and follow us on LinkedIn and X @AWHPOrg.