Years After Law, Kennedy Continues Mental Health Coverage Parity Battle

English: Centre for Mental Health logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Topics: Politics, Mental Health, Insurance, Delivery of Care, States

Apr 01, 2013

A mental health parity law passed in 2008, yet one of the measure’s key backers — former Congressman Patrick Kennedy — continues the fight for equal coverage of mental illness. He is meeting mixed success.WBUR: CommonHealth: Kennedy Calling For Equal Coverage Of Mental Health — Yes, Still
Mental health “parity” is officially a done deal. Congress passed a law back in 2008 requiring health insurers to treat mental health on a par with physical health, covering care for mental illness and addiction no less than they cover physical care. Many states have also passed their own mental health parity laws. So why has former Congressman Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island — lead sponsor of the 2008 bill together with his late father, Sen. Ted Kennedy — spent much of the last couple of years criss-crossing the country to advocate for mental health parity? (3/29).

In Texas, mental health funding faces a tough road ahead after budget gaps appear —

The Associated Press: Texas Mental Health Funding Leaves Gaps
Standing in a courtyard by the state Capitol, Sen. Judith Zaffirini reached out to touch the Mental Health Bell, forged in the 1950s from chains once used to shackle asylum patients, brought to Texas this year on display as a 300-pound symbol of hope. … But while advocates for the mentally ill roundly cheer their gains, it is becoming clear the money will go only so far. Lawmakers are scrambling to repair a patchwork system spread among community centers, state agencies and all levels of the criminal justice system (Brick, 3/30).

This is part of Kaiser Health News‘ Daily Report – a summary of health policy coverage from more than 300 news organizations. The full summary of the day’s news can be found here and you can sign up for e-mail subscriptions to the Daily Report here. In addition, our staff of reporters and correspondents file original stories each day, which you can find on our home page.

Federal Agency Issues ‘Fraud Alert’ About Physician-Owned Distributorships

English: Tennessee Valley Authority Office of Inspector General Seal (United States). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Federal Communications Commission Inspector General badge (USA). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Topics: Marketplace

Mar 27, 2013

The Health and Human Services inspector general said these commercial ventures, which are widespread in the fields of orthepedic and spine surgery, are “inherently suspect.”

The Wall Street Journal: Warning Over Doctor-Run Groups
A federal agency issued a special fraud alert about physician-owned distributorships—commercial entities run by doctors that have proliferated in the fields of orthopedic and spine surgery—calling them “inherently suspect” and warning they “pose dangers to patient safety” (Carreyrou, 3/26).

Bloomberg: Doctor-Owned Device Suppliers Deemed Inherently Suspect
Doctor-owned businesses that act as middlemen between medical device makers and hospitals are “inherently suspect” and some of their practices may violate U.S. anti-kickback laws, a government inspector general said. Daniel Levinson, the inspector general for the Health and Human Services Department, today issued an unusual “special fraud alert” about so-called physician-owned distributorships, or PODs (Wayne, 3/26).

A Bridge To Health — And Away From ER Overuse

pie chart of causes of traumatic brain injury (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Nancy Wang, North Carolina Health News

March 27th, 2013, 6:01 AM

There are patients in almost every hospital emergency room who do not need urgent care. They are there because they don’t have health insurance or a regular physician, or they didn’t know what else to do. Often, they are repeat visitors. It’s a problem that leads to emergency department overuse and contributes to spiraling health care costs.

Nationally, between 13.7 percent and 27.1 percent of all emergency department visits are non-urgent, according to a 2010 Health Affairs study, leading to about $4.4 billion in health care costs.

North Carolina’s Pardee Memorial Hospital, located in Hendersonville, has joined forces with local physicians in an attempt to reverse this cycle – and program data suggest the plan is working.

In 2009, Pardee’s emergency department treated approximately 45,000 patients. Among them the hospital identified 255 as “frequent flyers” – meaning they used the emergency room six or more times and racked up more than $3 million in unpaid medical bills. They were all uninsured, low-income patients, many with a history of substance abuse or mental health issues.

The next year, 44 of these patients agreed to participate in Bridges to Health – an integrated approach that Dr. Steve Crane, a family physician who started the program, calls a “patient-centered medical home on steroids.” It aims to decrease ER expenses by providing this patient population with primary care, behavioral health services and a nurse case manager through bi-weekly health clinic visits.

The program’s free clinic is part medical check-up, part group therapy. While the doctors treat rashes, abdominal pains and other symptoms, the patients also help one another, suggesting where to seek legal assistance or where to eat or sleep inexpensively. As such, the program sets out to address the two main problems seen in these patients: the lack of social support and access to regular primary care.

Advocates of this type of approach believe targeting ER over-users, who generally have limited experience with the health system, will buttress the Affordable Care Act’s provisions designed to expand insurance coverage and access to care.

A 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey reported that 46.3 percent of respondent ER patients were in the ER because they had nowhere else to go. The report also found that uninsured adults were more likely than insured adults to go to the ER for this reason.

“Many of these people just went to the ER because they were in pain or scared,” Crane said. “You see them going back so many times because their real issues are not supposed to be treated in the ER and are not taken care of.”

A Targeted Approach

Unlike most free health clinics, where a wide variety of people are seen individually and most people rarely come more than once, Bridges to Health works exclusively with this specific group of ER over-users and each visit is conducted as one large group appointment.

Crane’s program offers these patients a better alternative with long-reaching benefits.

Before enrolling in the program, participants were averaging seven ER visits a year, costing an average of $14, 004 per person . At the end of the first year, participants averaged three visits a year, costing an average of $2,760 per person. This amounted to $404,784 in savings for the Pardee Hospital ER that year.

Additionally, 10 participants found employment and six previously homeless members found stable housing by the end of the first year.

Data for the second year is still being analyzed.

While the results of the program are very promising, Crane cautions that the patient group is small, and that the program only works for participants who come to the clinic meetings.

He and his team, however, are hopeful that programs like Bridges to Health will gain more support because they offer a way to hold down health costs, while improving care. A Bridges to Health pilot is on track to be replicated in Charlotte sometime this year, with a few other North Carolina and Virginia counties hoping to also get on board.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 27th, 2013 at 6:01 am.

1. Lori says:

   March 27, 2013 at 10:45 am

   This is a great outcome. We need more programs like this. Finding an additional reason for overuse in the population is lack of competency and inability and/or unwillingness for hospitals to address this in the emergency room. Deeper assessment of our frequent fliers re needed on many levels.

2. Davis Graham says:

   March 27, 2013 at 11:28 am

   Big issue great article. When the estimates are posted:

   “Before enrolling in the program, participants were averaging seven ER visits a year, costing an average of $14, 004 per person . At the end of the first year, participants averaged three visits a year, costing an average of $2,760 per person. This amounted to $404,784 in savings for the Pardee Hospital ER that year.”

   Are these dollar amounts what the hospital charges or what Medicare Allows? For instance the hospital may charge $2,000 for a CT of the brain but Medicare will pay $220 which is the Medicare Allowable.

3. walter says:

   March 27, 2013 at 4:52 pm

   As a Republican, I don’t think this idea has even a remote chance of ever going prime time. Like Obamacare, ideas like this are a complete waste of time. We need to repeal Obamacare and we need to repeal stupid ideas like this. We need to return complete control of our healthcare system to the private insurance companies. America’s healthcare system was doing just fine prior to March of 2010. We need to trust the private insurance companies to do what is best for America’s healthcare system. The private insurers have had decades of experience. The private insurers should be allowed to do as they wish and not be regulated by the federal government. The private insurers can be trusted. We need to let the free enterprise system work. We need to let the free market system work. We need to stop federal government interference. In my opinion, emergency room overuse does not exist. In my opinion, nobody is abusing the emergency rooms in America. How can these statistics be accurate? In my view, it’s impossible!

4. Lynn in SC says:

   March 27, 2013 at 5:00 pm

   In comparing cost you should also include the cost of the “free clinic”. Some entity is carrying that cost.

   Isn’t interesting that it took so long to identify the frequent flyers and most had mental health or substance abuse issues. These folks have been around for years.

   There are institution by institutions with creative solutions if only someone will look at the patients, recognize the patterns, and lead the solution. As long as providers have their vision limited by what is reimbursed and what is not reimbursed they won’t see solutions that are right under their noses because they only see the lack of revenue tied to these patients. .

5. Evelyn says:

   March 27, 2013 at 5:24 pm

   Walter, ask anybody who works in any field remotely related to health care and they will tell you that you are dead wrong in your stance on emergency room overuse/abuse. My job involves working with only a small fraction of emergency room patients (only those who receive medical equipment while visiting the ED), and it is alarming how many of these people are “frequent flyers,” coming in monthly, sometimes weekly, for every little thing. (I can only imagine how many more patients I don’t look at that are in the same situation.) But a trend quickly becomes apparent: a strong majority of these patients are unemployed, uninsured or on state assistance, and have mental health and/or substance abuse issues. You cannot just ignore these issues. Private insurers will have nothing to do with these issues. And so we all pay, financially and morally.

   Why on earth would somebody lambast a program actually looking for solutions to these very real problems? I’m so sick of the complainers and naysayers. And it’s a little frightening how much faith you put into for-profit corporations. I sincerely hope that you don’t incur some horrible disease or injury that your insurance won’t cover a lick of, because that is another thing I see constantly in the hospital where I work. Then again, thanks to the Affordable Care Act (or “Obamacare”), you might never have to endure that tragedy.

   You do have one saving grace; at least you acknowledge your rant as opinion and not fact.

   Kudos to innovative thinkers like Bridges to Health.

Score Can Predict Risk For Hospital Readmission

English: Depiction of the House vote on H.R. 3590 (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) on March 21, 2010, by congressional district. Democratic yea Democratic nay Republican nay No representative seated (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Topics: Health Costs, Hospitals, Marketplace, Quality

Mar 26, 2013

A risk score for hospitalized patients can pinpoint those most at risk of having to be readmitted to the hospital for avoidable reasons.

MedPage Today: Score Predicts Preventable Readmissions
A risk prediction score for hospitalized patients can find those most at risk of returning for avoidable reasons, researchers found. The HOSPITAL score — based on hemoglobin and sodium levels at discharge, whether the admission was elective, and similar factors — identified 18% of patients as at high risk for a potentially avoidable readmission within 30 days with a “fair” level of accuracy (Phend, 3/25).

Also in the news, a progress report on efforts to reset hospital and doctor pay –

Kaiser Health News: Slow Progress On Efforts To Pay Docs, Hospitals For ‘Value,’ Not Volume
For decades, reformers have sought to change how doctors and hospitals are paid to reward quality and efficiency – efforts that accelerated as a result of the health care overhaul. But surprisingly little progress has been made to date, a consortium of large employers reported today (Mitchell, 3/26).

Research Roundup: Saving Money With Hospital Observation Units

Topics: Medicare, Health Costs, Delivery of Care, Health Disparities, Hospitals, Quality, Public Health

Sep 28, 2012

Each week KHN reporter Ankita Rao compiles a selection of recently-released health policy studies and briefs.

Health Affairs: Making Greater Use Of Dedicated Hospital Observation Units For Many Short-Stay Patients Could Save $3.1 Billion A Year
The authors write: “Using observation units in hospitals to provide care to certain patients can be more efficient than admitting them to the hospital and can result in shorter lengths-of-stay and lower costs. However, such units are present in only about one-third of US hospitals. … Using a systematic literature review, national survey data, and a simulation model, we estimated that if hospitals without observation units had them in place, the average cost savings per patient would be $1,572, annual hospital savings would be $4.6 million, and national cost savings would be $3.1 billion” (Baugh et al., 9/26).

Journal of the American Medical Association: Total Knee Arthoplasty Volume, Utilization, and Outcomes Among Medicare Beneficiaries, 1991-2010
“Between 1991 and 2010 annual primary [total knee replacement] volume increased 161.5% from 93,230 to 243,802,” according to this study which specifically evaluated trends in the Medicare population. The cost of the procedure is approximately $15,000 and succeeds in “safely reducing pain and improving functional status”. Researchers found that increases in “TKA volume have been driven by both increases in the number of Medicare enrollees and in per capita utilization. We also observed decreases in hospital [length of stay] that were accompanied by increases in hospital readmission rates” (Cram et al., 9/26).

Archives of Internal Medicine: Geographic Variation in Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing Among Older Adults
By examining Medicare Part D records, researchers found a significant relationship between location and antibiotic use. The rate of patients using antibiotics per quarter was highest in the South, 21.4 percent, compared to 19.2 percent in the Midwest and 17.4 in the West. The drugs had been primarily prescribed for bacterial pneumonia, acute nasopharyngitis, and other acute respiratory tract infections. The Northeast, which had the highest prevalence of bacterial pneumonia, had the lowest rates antibiotic use. The authors concluded: “Areas with high rates of antibiotic use may benefit from targeted programs to reduce unnecessary prescription. Quality improvement programs can set attainable targets using the low-prescribing areas as a reference” (Zhang, Steinman and Kaplan, 9/24).

The Milbank Quarterly: Fundamental Causes of Colorectal Cancer Mortality: The Implications of Informational Diffusion
Colorectal cancer deaths, which will claim an estimated 52,857 lives this year, can be prevented through removing polyps, radiation and chemotherapy if identified through timely screening. But researchers found that there are socioeconomic disparities in mortality rates. By examining death and “diffusion of information” data in counties from 1968 to 2008, they found that southern states tend to have the worst outcome, because of their lower socioeconomic demographics. The authors noted that the “impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on colorectal cancer mortality is substantial and its protective impact increases over time.” The disparity is attributed to access to information that authors said could be mitigated through “aggressive colorectal cancer screenings, better treatment protocols” and publicizing screening recommendations (Wang et al., 9/2012).

The Commonwealth Fund: As CareFirst Tweaks The Medical Home, Doctors Flock and Costs Dip
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield launched one of the country’s largest medical home programs in January 2011. Now they are targeting small clinics, especially in rural areas, to join a network. Doctors in the CareFirst model are grouped together, sometimes across several practices, to communicate about screening, access and effectiveness and controling costs. If one medical home is prescribing more tests than another, they are “educated about community norms.” CareFirst has recorded a 1.5 percent drop in medical expenses, or a $40 million savings, of which roughly $22 to $23 million is to be paid back to providers (Schilling, 9/25).

This is part of Kaiser Health News‘ Daily Report – a summary of health policy coverage from more than 300 news organizations. The full summary of the day’s news can be found here and you can sign up for e-mail subscriptions to the Daily Report here. In addition, our staff of reporters and correspondents file original stories each day, which you can find on our home page.

English: Dr. Christa Maar, CEO of Felix Burda Foundation, at the the Foundations Press Conference regarding the German Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month March 2009 on 17.02.2009 in Munich. Deutsch: Dr. Christa Maar, Vorstand Felix Burda Stiftung, bei Pressekonferenz zum Darmkrebsmonat März am 17.02.09 in München. (c) Felix Burda Stiftung. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Voluntary Insurance Benefits

Share of federal excise taxes paid by US households reporting different income levels, 1979-2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Voluntary Insurance Benefits What are Voluntary Benefits? Voluntary benefits are insurance products that employees may choose to purchase through their companies at rates that are lower than they could get on their own. A few examples of voluntary benefits are dental, vision, life, disability, supplemental health and cancer insurance. Many employers offer voluntary benefits because they allow companies to provide a more robust benefits package at no cost to them. How do voluntary benefits work for employees? For an example of how voluntary benefits work we’ll need our good friends Gary and Greta. Tonight, they’re going to a restaurant for dinner. Gary and Greta’s entrées include soup and salad with the price of their meals. In this case, their meal is like their company’s health plan – they get what they want along with a few added extras. Hopefully, their food tastes better than their health plan. Anyway, tonight Gary and Greta want more than the basic entrée, soup and salad. They’d also like to order some appetizers, a bottle of wine and dessert. These extras are kind of like voluntary benefits – Gary and Greta get more than the basic offering, but only pay for what they order. Like appetizers, desserts and wines, voluntary benefits come in many varieties that help protect your financial and physical well-being. For example, for a little extra money that’s simply deducted from his paycheck each month, Gary can purchase disability insurance that will help offset loss of income if he is unable to work due to sickness or injury. He can choose supplemental insurance to cover copays, deductibles or other costs of care not covered by his regular health insurance. And benefits are paid directly to the employee, so Gary can use the money however he needs to. Most consumers don’t plan for loss of income, or for expenses like childcare and travel that are necessitated by illness or injuries but not covered by medical insurance. Yet studies show that unexpected illness and injuries account for more than 350,000 bankruptcies every year. By enrolling in these voluntary benefits, Gary is rewarded with greater peace of mind. As an added bonus, the premiums Gary pays for voluntary benefits are paid using pre-tax dollars. Voluntary benefits may also include options like vision and dental insurance, which can protect more than your eyes and teeth. Annual eye exams, for example, can help detect health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure. And did you know that gum disease is a serious risk factor for heart disease? Keeping your teeth and gums in good shape helps protect your overall health. Now, what are the advantages for employers who offer voluntary benefits? Offering voluntary benefits to employees provides a great incentive for people to stay with your company. Your employees can receive more benefits – and you don’t pay any extra. You’re also helping your employees protect their health, their savings and everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve. As an added bonus, offering voluntary benefits provides the opportunity to lower your payroll taxes with each enrolled employee. Summary of Voluntary Benefits Voluntary benefits allow employees to purchase additional insurance products through their company at rates that are lower than if they bought them on their own. Premiums are paid from pre-tax dollars and deducted from the employee’s paycheck, making payment simple and convenient. Voluntary benefits are also a way for employers to offer an added incentive to employees without having to pay extra. Everybody wins when voluntary benefits are a part of a company’s employee benefits package. What are Voluntary Benefits? Watch Healthcare Video: What are Voluntary Benefits.

 

Contact Badgley and Associates to enroll in a great new plan. Nationwide toll Free 7 days a week 888-737-0594

Smoking, Obesity, Lack Of Insurance May Be Shortening Some Americans’ Life Spans

Topics: Aging, Health Disparities, Public Health

Sep 21, 2012

The New York Times reports that the nation’s life-expectancy trend has reversed by four years since 1990 for the country’s least-educated whites.

The New York Times: Reversing Trend, Life Span Shrinks For Some Whites
The reasons for the decline remain unclear, but researchers offered possible explanations, including a spike in prescription drug overdoses among young whites, higher rates of smoking among less educated white women, rising obesity, and a steady increase in the number of the least educated Americans who lack health insurance (Tavernise, 9/20).

In other news –

Bloomberg: Alzheimer’s Leaves Patients, Caregivers Feeling Isolated
Patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, and their caregivers say the illness leaves them feeling isolated and apart from family, friends and life’s typical connections, a report shows. About a quarter of people with dementia hide or conceal their diagnosis because of the stigma surrounding the disease and 40 percent say they are excluded from everyday life, according to the World Alzheimer Report 2012 released today by London-based Alzheimer’s Disease International. About 36 million people worldwide are living with dementia and the numbers will more than triple to 115 million by 2050, according to the report (Ostrow, 9/20).

This is part of Kaiser Health News‘ Daily Report – a summary of health policy coverage from more than 300 news organizations. The full summary of the day’s news can be found here and you can sign up for e-mail subscriptions to the Daily Report here. In addition, our staff of reporters and correspondents file original stories each day, which you can find on our home page.

N.Y. Times Examines Why Many Kidneys Available For Transplant Are Discarded

The posterior surfaces of the kidneys, showing areas of relation to the parietes. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Kidney (Photo credit: Joshua Schwimmer)

Topics: Public Health

Sep 20, 2012

In each of the past five years, more than 2,600 kidneys were recovered and discarded, according to government data.

The New York Times: In Discarding Of Kidneys, System Reveals Flaws
Last year, 4,720 people died while waiting for kidney transplants in the United States. And yet, as in each of the last five years, more than 2,600 kidneys were recovered from deceased donors and then discarded without being transplanted, government data show. … many experts agree that a significant number of discarded kidneys — perhaps even half, some believe — could be transplanted if the system for allocating them better matched the right organ to the right recipient in the right amount of time (Sack, 9/19).

The New York Times: After Death, Helping To Prolong Life
If the deceased is not registered as a donor, next of kin are presented with the decision, and families in LifeSource’s region decline consent about a third of the time, said Meg Rogers, the agency’s director of procurement. They may resist on moral or religious grounds, or simply because they are uncertain what their loved ones wanted. Exhaustion and pain may have drained their strength to wrestle with the choice (Sack, 9/19).

This is part of Kaiser Health News‘ Daily Report – a summary of health policy coverage from more than 300 news organizations. The full summary of the day’s news can be found here and you can sign up for e-mail subscriptions to the Daily Report here. In addition, our staff of reporters and correspondents file original stories each day, which you can find on our home page.

A pig’s (Sus scrofa domestica) kidney (ren) opened (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Joint Commission Offers Ranking Of Hospitals On Quality, Patient Safety

Topics: Quality, Hospitals, Delivery of Care

Sep 19, 2012

The hospital accreditation board recognized 620 hospitals as top performers based on 45 measures. The rankings reflect performance in 2011.

Modern Healthcare: Joint Commission Ranks 620 Hospitals As Top Performers On Quality Measures
The Joint Commission has recognized 620 hospitals as top performers in quality and patient safety, up 53 percent from 405 hospitals last year. The designation is based on hospitals’ performance during 2011 across 45 accountability measures in areas such as pneumonia care, heart-failure care and inpatient psychiatric services. To make the list, hospitals had to receive a composite score of 95 percent or above on all of the accountability measures it reported to the Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based organization (McKinney, 9/19).

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Joint Commission Praises 620 Hospitals For Quality
The Joint Commission, the nation’s major hospital accreditation board, is releasing its annual list of hospitals that have excelled at adhering to basic procedures for treating common illnesses such as heart attacks and strokes (Rau, 9/19).

Miami Herald: HCA Facilities Lead Top Hospital List In South Florida
Five hospitals in the HCA chain are among 11 in South Florida that received top scores from the Joint Commission, the nonprofit group that accredits the nation’s hospitals. The Memorial Healthcare System in South Broward had three on the list. Baptist Health South Florida had two in a report scheduled to be released Wednesday. The 11 hospitals all received top scores in four key quality treatment measures for 2011: for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care, as measured by data collected by the Joint Commission (Dorschner, 9/19).

In other news about health care quality —

Medscape: Best Hospital-To-Primary-Care Procedures Remain Unclear
A systematic review of 36 randomized controlled trials of interventions aimed at improving handovers between hospital and primary care providers at hospital discharge failed to establish any firm conclusions about which interventions have positive effects on quality of care. Gijs Hesselink, MA, MSc, from the Scientific Institute for Quality of Healthcare at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands, and colleagues published their findings in the September 17 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. According to the researchers, studies suggest that poorly managed hospital discharges can lead to increased rehospitalizations and decreased quality in continuity of care. With the increased movement of patients between various health care institutions, the emphasis on delivery of care in the community, and the move toward shorter hospital stays, there is a greater need for effective discharge and transfer of patients (Hitt, 9/18).

This is part of Kaiser Health News’ Daily Report – a summary of health policy coverage from more than 300 news organizations. The full summary of the day’s news can be found here and you can sign up for e-mail subscriptions to the Daily Report here. In addition, our staff of reporters and correspondents file original stories each day, which you can find on our home page.

English: Accrington Pals Primary Health Care Centre (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Report: Obesity Rates Will Continue To Grow, Health Care Costs Will Follow

Topics: Health Costs, Public Health, States

Sep 19, 2012

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health concluded that, based on current trends, most Americans could be obese by 2030.

Politico: Study: Obesity Rate To Jump By 50% By 2030
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health released a new report Tuesday projecting America’s obesity rates through 2030. If current obesity rates continue, every state could have an obesity rate above 44 percent by 2030, and most states could have rates higher than 50 percent, the report found (Smith, 9/19).

Kaiser Health News: Capusles: Unchecked Rise In Obesity Will Be Costly To States, Report Says
A new report analyzing obesity trends warns that health care costs will increase alongside U.S. waistlines if current rates are left unchecked. It calls for mobilizing public health efforts and expanding funding to help adults and children become leaner (Rao, 9/18).

The Hill: Study: US Will Have 39 ‘Majority-Obese’ States By The Year 2030
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and Trust for America’s Health partnered on the report out Tuesday. It projects a massive rise in cases of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other weight-related disorders as Americans gain substantial weight. Report authors argue the crisis merits federal intervention to promote healthier school lunches and more physical education for children — controversial recommendations amid current political debates over the right role of government. “Policy changes can help make healthier choices easier for Americans in their daily lives,” said Jeff Levi, executive director with Trust for America’s Health (Viebeck, 9/18).

The Fiscal Times: Unchecked Obesity Could Bankrupt Nation
Obesity rates have doubled over the past two decades and will almost double again over the next two decades unless the public comes to grips with its swelling waistlines, a new study says. The rising tide of obesity threatens to send health care costs soaring. Already, the nation spends an estimated $147 billion to $210 billion per year on obesity-related diseases including Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and arthritis. Unless the projections are altered dramatically, additional medical costs associated with treating preventable, obesity-related diseases could swell by another $48 billion to $66 billion by 2030, the report said (Goozner, 9/19).

Medpage Today: Red Or Blue Most States Are Fat
If obesity rates continue to follow current trends, more than half the population of almost 40 states will be obese in 2030, health groups said. In 13 states six of every 10 residents will be obese, and all 50 states would have rates topping 44 percent, according to a report by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. … The report estimates that in 2030, Mississippi could have the highest obesity rate at 66.7 percent, while Colorado would have the lowest at 44.8 percent. Currently, obesity rates top out at 34.9 percent in Mississippi and bottom out at 20.7% in Colorado, according to the CDC (Fiore, 9/18).

ABC: Most Americans May Be Obese By 2030, Report Warns
The annual report looks at the state of the obesity epidemic, as well as ways to address it. This year, for the first time, it includes new data on how obesity could impact the health and wealth of the U.S. over the next 20 years. Using a prediction model published in The Lancet last year, analysts estimated that if adult obesity rates continue on their current path, all 50 states could have rates above 44 percent by 2030 (Braun, 9/18).

CNN: Health Care Costs To Bulge Along With U.S.
It also projects that the health of the country — and the dollars spent on the health care system — would benefit from even a 5% reduction in the average body mass index. … The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found, in data published in August, that Mississippi is the country’s leader in adult obesity, at 34.9%. That number could rise to 66.7% by 2030, the new report found. The new analysis also projected that obesity rates in 13 states could rise above 60% among adults by 2030 (Landau, 9/18).

NBC: If You Think We’re Fat Now, Wait Till 2030
In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 12 states have an adult obesity rate over 30 percent. Mississippi had the highest rate of obesity at 34.9 percent. On the low end, 20.7 percent of Colorado residents are obese. CDC projections for obesity resemble those in Tuesday’s report – it projects 42 percent of adults will be obese by 2030. The problem isn’t just cosmetic (Fox, 9/18).

Some news outlets examined what the report projects for their states –

Los Angeles Times: More Than 45% Of Californians May Be Obese By 2030, Report Says
If you think America is fat now, just wait 20 years. So says a state-by-state projection of the nation’s future obesity rates that has arrived at some terrifying results: By 2030, every state in the nation may well have obesity rates above 44%, with most having rates above 50% (Bardin, 9/18).

The Dallas Morning News: Texas Is On A Path To 57% Obesity By 2030, And That Would Be Costly
At the current rate of weight gain, by 2030, 57.2 percent of Texans will be obese. That could lead to 13 million more cases of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart failure and stroke, arthritis and cancer. The projections by the Trust for America’s Health  were released Tuesday. … The state’s current obesity rate is 30.4 percent, according to self-reported weight and height measurements gathered in surveys by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Landers, 9/18).

San Francisco Chronicle: Heavy Toll Seen In Health Habits: Obesity
Nearly half of Californians will be obese by 2030 if they don’t change their eating habits and start exercising, according to a report released Tuesday that offers a state-by-state analysis of the country’s weighty future. That would mark a significant increase from the state’s 2011 obesity rate of 23.8 percent but, even with that, California’s ranking as the 46th fattest state in the country is not expected to change (Colliver, 9/18).

Minnesota Public Radio: Obesity Could Double In Minnesota If Patterns Hold
Anyone who thinks Minnesota has a serious obesity problem now should look ahead 20 years. It could get a whole lot worse. A new analysis of government health data suggests that Minnesota’s obesity rate could climb to a staggering 54.7 percent by 2030 if the state’s current weight-related trends don’t change. Currently 25.7 percent of Minnesota adults are obese (Benson, 9/18).

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: State Could Save $12 Billion In Health Costs If Residents Slim Down, Report Says
Every little bit counts, whether it’s increasing physical activity in schools and workplaces, making fresh fruits and vegetables more affordable, or losing 10 pounds through exercise and better eating. The ultimate payoff for Wisconsin could add up to $11.96 billion in health care savings if the average resident trimmed just 5% from his or her body mass index by 2030, according to a state-by-state report released Tuesday by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Combating obesity helps reduce costly chronic obesity-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes – a disease of considerable concern for aging baby boomers (Herzog, 9/18).

Detroit Free Press: How Fat Is Michigan? New Obesity-Rate Ranking Puts Us Behind Just These 4 Other States
Three of 5 Michiganders could be obese by 2030 and its healthcare costs could soar if the state doesn’t start shedding pounds, according to a new report this morning. Michigan jumped to 5th fattest state in the nation as the number of obese adults expanded from 30.5% to 31.3%, according to the annual F as in Fat report by the Trust for America Health. The report is financed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a Princeton, N.J.-based philanthropy focused on health issues. More than 12% of Michigan’s high school students are obese as well, according to the report (Erb, 9/18).

In related news –

Reuters: Wal-Mart, Humana Reward Healthy Food Purchases
Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world’s largest retailer, is joining with healthcare insurer Humana Inc to trim the cost of healthy foods for some customers. More than 1 million members of Humana’s healthy rewards program will get a 5 percent credit on about 1,300 healthy food items at U.S. Walmart stores starting on October 15, the companies said. The credit can be used against future Walmart purchases (Humer, 9/19).

Medpage Today: NYC Health Chief Urges Others To Act On Obesity
The chief of New York City’s health department, which just passed a ban on super-sized sugary drinks, has called on other governmental bodies to champion food policy that will have an impact on obesity. “To do nothing is to invite even higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and related mortality,” Thomas Farley, MD, MPH, the city’s health commissioner, wrote in a commentary in a special issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association dedicated to obesity. Farley argues that government has a long history of passing policies that protect public health, including restaurant inspections to prevent foodborne disease and seat belt laws that blunt the impact of car crashes — even though none of these are as deadly as obesity, Farley said (Fiore, 9/18).

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