Welcome to the December 2005 edition of the Obesity Action Alert, OAC's free monthly electronic newsletter. The OAC hopes you find the topics discussed below educational and informative.

If you have any questions or concerns about the topics presented in this issue, please contact the OAC National Office at (800) 717-3117 or info@obesityaction.org.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its proposal to modify Medicare coverage of bariatric surgery to help reduce significant health risks associated with obesity that may increase morbidity and mortality among the Medicare population.

Following an extensive evidence review, CMS proposes national coverage for Medicare beneficiaries under age 65 for open and laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding under certain clinical circumstances and when performed in a facility meeting evidence-based standards for bariatric surgery. To view the entire news release, please click here.

The OAC strongly encourages all affected by obesity (patients, family members, healthcare professionals, etc.) to raise their voices and respond to Medicare with your own thoughts on these issues. You may also echo the OAC by thanking Medicare for proposing improved access to weight-loss surgery and asking for the revisions found in the OAC’s advocacy resource, A Patient’s Guide to Advocating for Improved Access to Weight- Loss Surgery under Medicare.

According to YAHOO! NEWS, gaining weight from overeating is a problem faced by many adults, and now scientists have apparently discovered one reason why.

In experiments with rats, researchers found that the hormone leptin, which helps burn fat in fat cells called adipocytes, becomes ineffective, allowing for weight gain from overeating.

On November 2, 2005, the OAC issued a letter to S. Robson Walton, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., urging the company to renounce their proposed discriminatory healthcare statements in a recent memo, titled “Reviewing and Revising Wal-Mart’s Benefits Strategy,” which discusses projected changes to employee benefits and hiring practices.

On November 21, the OAC received a written response from Wal-Mart commenting on the OAC's request. An excerpt from the letter states, "We hire people who are qualified to do the job we're hiring them for. Period. For those we hire, we want to help our associates live the healthiest lives possible," said Greg Goggans, Director of Benefits Design.

For the most current information on this topic or to read Wal-Mart's response in its entirety, please visit the OAC Web site.

According to Journal Inquirer, a new study by the University of Connecticut Health Center's Department of Public Health has found that roughly a quarter of Connecticut's six to 17 year olds are overweight, with 12 percent of the children in that age group - more than 71,000 children - classified as obese, or seriously overweight.

The study recommends a number of public policy initiatives to combat what seems like a rising trend, from statewide standards for school lunch nutrition and exercise to taxes on soda and unhealthy snack foods.

Would you like to write for the OAC's quarterly educational and advocacy newsletter, titled "OAC News?" The OAC is currently requesting authors for future issues of "OAC News." Both healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to write for the publication.

If there is a topic that you would like to see covered, such as, heart disease and obesity, the decline of physical education in schools or medically managed weight-loss, we encourage you to e-mail the OAC at info@obesityaction.org.

Patients wishing to submit their personal stories of dealing with obesity or morbid obesity should visit the OAC Web site and click on the "Share Your Story" link. There you will find directions on how to submit your story to the OAC.

According to AG Weekly, the Republican-controlled House voted Wednesday to shield fast-food chains from lawsuits that blame them for making people fat.

Nicknamed the "cheeseburger bill," the measure stems from lawsuits accusing McDonald's of causing obesity in tens of thousands of children. The food industry has asked Congress and state legislatures to protect it from liability, and so far, 21 states have agreed.