Obesity's disease designation could trigger increased costs for employers

The American Medical Association recently designated obesity as a disease, a move that could impact what treatment options are covered by employer-sponsored health plans.

Because health insurers often use guidance from physician groups like the AMA to determine which treatments are appropriate and should qualify for coverage, obesity’s disease designation will likely expand coverage to some of its treatment options.

In addition, the change could cause more doctors to start actively treating obesity, rather than leaving it mostly unaddressed.

Employers that aren’t covering obesity treatments already may need to start doing so, according to Sadhna Paralkar, M.D., an independent health management consultant. This will mean additional costs to employers as more treatments get covered.

Read the full story via Employee Benefit News.