Remove Obesity Coverage Restrictions from Virginia Medicaid

Background: Last year, Virginia lawmakers passed a budget that included restrictions on Medicaid coverage for obesity medications based on BMI, which goes against standard clinical guidelines. These restrictions only allow patients with a BMI of 40 or higher, or those with a BMI of 37 and certain comorbidities, to access FDA-approved obesity medications.

The budget for the upcoming fiscal year is currently being drafted and there are budget items introduced in both the House and Senate that will remove the current restrictive language from the budget.

Take Action Now: Use OAC’s advocacy tool to urge Virginia’s lawmakers to support budget items that remove the BMI restrictions for obesity treatment coverage from the upcoming budget.

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