Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced at a Senate hearing on Thursday that Medicare is dropping language stating that obesity is "not an illness," although it is not formally recognizing obesity as a disease. This change in policy will allow Medicare beneficiaries to request a government review of medical evidence to determine whether certain treatments for obesity can be covered. Even though Medicare programs have previously covered illnesses caused by obesity (e.g., diabetes and cardiovascular diseases) such policy denied coverage for weight-loss therapies. Although this change in policy is not coupled with immediate coverage changes, Medicare signaled its intent to begin reviewing scientific evidence in the fall in order to determine what types of care to cover, including surgical procedures and behavioral and diet counseling.
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