ICYMI: HealthyWomen and AWHP Webinar Underscores Importance of Employee Health and Access to Obesity Care for Women

For individuals living with obesity, obtaining access to care can be difficult. Many health insurance plans include barriers that restrict access to the range of comprehensive obesity care options, particularly medications. But employers have the opportunity to increase overall employee wellness by providing coverage for obesity care.  

HealthyWomen in collaboration with the Alliance for Women’s Health & Prevention’s  EveryBODY Covered campaign, recently hosted a webinar titled “Advancing Employee Wellness and Access for Women Living with Obesity.” During the webinar, experts shared their perspectives on the impact of obesity on women, the importance of access to comprehensive obesity care through employer-sponsored health insurance plans, and ways that employees can advocate for better coverage.  

Here are some key highlights from the discussion: 

Obesity is a chronic and complicated disease with growing prevalence. 

• Dr. Shieva Ghofrany, M.D., FACOG, Co-Founder of Tribe Called V, shared her personal story as a woman living with obesity. Feelings of shame and anxiety around food at a young age led her to unhealthy weight management strategies. By age 38, she had experienced six miscarriages, endometriosis, and a very challenging vaginal birth – complications she closely associates today with her weight. Her experience not only highlights the complexities behind food and weight culture for women, but also the other health challenges women living with obesity face.  

• Dr. Priya Jaisinghani, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, highlighted recent data from the CDC demonstrating that no U.S. state has an obesity prevalence less than 20 percent, with most states having a prevalence between 30-40 percent. Estimates indicate that by 2030, this number will rise to 50 percent. This significant increase in prevalence, Dr. Jaisinghani said, highlights the need to not just recognize obesity as a chronic disease, but also to treat it like one.    

Several barriers stand in the way of many women being able to access the full range of obesity care and treatment options.  

• Deb Gordon, Co-Founder and CEO of Consumer Health Advocacy, Inc., said that insurance companies have a “toolbox of barriers” to limit access to obesity treatments. For example, insurers often cite a lack of “medical necessity” when it comes to obesity care, claiming that obesity is a cosmetic or lifestyle issue. This disregard for obesity as a chronic, treatable disease with serious consequences goes against the latest science – and actively harms the many women who need help. 

• Dr. Ghofrany also noted that many women face stigma from healthcare providers, impacting their ability to access proper obesity care. Finding a supportive healthcare provider is key, yet this is unfortunately a privilege that many individuals cannot allocate the time or finances for.  

Coverage for obesity care doesn’t just help employees – their employers benefit as well  

• Employees living with obesity miss three more days of work per year on average and have nearly three times the healthcare spending in comparison to employees without obesity. Gordon pointed out that from an employer’s perspective, a lack of presence in the workforce decreases productivity – estimated to be around $300-$500 lost per employee with obesity. While there should be greater emphasis on the importance of access to obesity care for employees, it should be noted that it is also “costing employers a lot to not have that access.”  

Employees can play an active role in advocating for coverage of obesity care. 

• As several panelists noted, we must work together to advocate for coverage of comprehensive obesity care to improve the health and well-being of employees and our nation. Employees can advocate for comprehensive obesity care coverage by using their voices at multiple levels: by starting conversations with others; reaching out to their employers; engaging with state policymakers; and collaborating with local community partners.   

You can watch the full webinar on HealthyWomen’s website here, and to join the EveryBODY Covered advocacy network, click here.