West Virginia’s PEIA Decision Places Comprehensive Obesity Care Out of Reach for Many Women

West Virginia has the highest rate of obesity in the nation, but many state employees and their family members now face significant obstacles in accessing comprehensive obesity care. In March, the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) announced that they would discontinue a pilot program that provided more than 1,100 state employees with coverage for obesity medications.

In recent media coverage, academic research and stories shared through the EveryBODY Covered Advocate Story Hub, West Virginians and local healthcare providers have expressed significant concerns about the impacts of halting the program. We’ve included key takeaways from these local perspectives below:

Obesity is a chronic, treatable disease, and access to obesity care is important to allow people living with obesity to live their healthiest lives. 

“[Obesity medications] have been nothing short of life-changing for many West Virginia residents, enabling them to perform better at their jobs, have a higher quality of life, and resolve many of the chronic health issues that were associated with their weight.”  – Abigail Cowher, Medical Student, West Virginia University, Charleston Gazette-Mail

“We can have a lot more success if we do this systematically and medically, rather than just continuing, which we’ve done for decades now, of telling people just eat less and exercise more, because we’ve been doing that and it’s not working,” – Dr. Laura Davisson, Director, West Virginia University Health Weight Management Program, West Virginia Public Broadcasting

“The medication they put me on has helped me… It’s not about vanity, it’s about being healthy and being able to live your life and make it through the day.” – Agnes, West Virginian woman living with obesity, EveryBODY Covered Advocate Story Hub

The lack of coverage for obesity medications is keeping the full range of obesity care options out of reach for many patients in West Virginia. 

“Most of the state employees are on the state insurance… and that state insurance no longer offers access to obesity care. So, we have a large population of people in my state, who suffer from obesity, who now can’t get that kind of help.” – Caitlin, West Virginian woman living with obesity, EveryBODY Covered Advocate Story Hub

“They can pay for heart attacks, they could pay for me to have a stroke, they could pay for me to have diabetes, but they won’t let me have this one medicine that could take all of that away.” – West Virginian living with obesity, Obesity Pillars 

“It made absolutely no sense to me. If we look at sheer numbers, right, if we just look at the cost of obesity-related health care conditions and know that it is treatable, and to say, ‘No, I’m going to stop covering this, and I’d like to take on all of those additional health care costs.’ Sounds completely ludicrous, but yet here we are.” – Cassie Maxwell, PEIA pilot program participant,West Virginia Public Broadcasting 

Obesity care should be covered just as any other chronic disease is covered. It’s only fair.

“It’s not just that people are lazy and don’t want to be healthy. They do want to be healthy. And if there’s medication out there that can make a difference, why are we not using that medication to help make Americans healthier?” – Agnes, West Virginian woman living with obesity, EveryBODY Covered Advocate Story Hub

“They say: ‘I’d love to treat obesity. I’d love to help people. It’s just too expensive.’ But you can’t not treat cancer because it’s too expensive. Why can you do that with obesity?” – Dr. Laura Davisson, Director, West Virginia University Health Weight Management Program, New York Times 

“All of these things that I needed treatment for medically have all improved…My insurance is pretty much telling me all of those things need to come back – you even need to get sicker before we’re willing to cover your chronic medical condition [obesity] – which isn’t fair, because they cover every other chronic medical condition.” – Cassie Maxwell, PEIA pilot program participant, West Virginia Public Broadcasting 

Expanding coverage for obesity care is critical to ensure that people living with obesity are treated fairly. Policymakers and employers –– in West Virginia and beyond –– must account for the perspectives shared by those closest to their decisions and expand coverage for the full range of obesity care options.

To find out how you can help improve coverage for obesity care, click here.