St. Louis Post-Dispatch LTE Raises Concerns About Coverage Cancellations

In response to Express Scripts’ announcement that it would stop covering obesity management medications for Anheuser-Busch employees in St. Louis, Millicent Gorham, CEO of AWHP, penned a letter to the editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch emphasizing the critical need for access to the full spectrum of sustained obesity care:

I was troubled reading “Express Scripts to drop coverage of weight-loss drugs for A-B employees” (July 28). Obesity is a serious chronic disease, and just like other chronic diseases, patients should have insurance coverage for the full range of evidence-based treatment options.

Leading medical societies agree that comprehensive obesity care includes FDA-approved medications, along with intensive behavioral therapy, nutrition counseling and surgery. The removal of coverage for obesity medications at Anheuser-Busch, one of Missouri’s largest employers, denies 3,000 workers access to essential health care.

Obesity is taking a serious physical, social and financial toll on approximately 1.7 million Missourians, especially women and people of color. The disease is linked to more than 200health complications, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. People living with the disease face bias and discrimination in health care settings, the workplace and beyond.

What’s more, in 2023, obesity reduced Missouri’s economic activity by $9.5 billion and led to$1 billion in higher health care costs for the state’s employers.

With adult obesity rates in Missouri projected to increase to 52% by 2030, cutting coverage for obesity medications is short-sighted. Obesity medications are proven to lower long-term healthcare costs and improve overall workforce health, making them a smart investment for Missouri employers to implement now to prevent costly consequences in the future. Obesity is a chronic disease — let’s start treating it like one.

Millicent Gorham
CEO, Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention
Washington, D.C.