The field of obesity medicine has grown tremendously throughout the last decade. Though we still have much to learn, our understanding of biochemistry, physiology and behaviors that affect weight have never been more clear. With these discoveries, new therapies have emerged to help individuals take control of their weight to improve their health.

However, while we’ve made great strides in obesity treatment, the ability for people to access these life-changing treatments remains very limited. It’s unfortunately too common for people affected by obesity to experience access to care issues. Across the country, employers and insurance companies completely exclude obesity management services and place significant barriers in front of individuals before they can use their insurance to help cover the cost of weight counseling, medications or surgery.

That’s why it’s so important for us to take #OACAction whenever possible and strive to improve access to care! There are a variety of ways in which you can do this. Here are a couple of easy examples:

• Thank your employer/insurer for covering your obesity care.
• Share OAC’s Insurance Guide on an online forum.
• Use OAC’s Access to Care Reporting Tool to tell us about your access issues or successes.
• Share your successful appeal letter.

Take #OACAction Now!

Start taking #OACAction today! Pull ideas from the short list above or come up with your own ideas to help OAC improve access to care. For helpful resources you can use to supplement your actions and provide valuable information, visit ObesityAction.org and start exploring. Almost anything on our website can be used to share with employers, insurance companies and others who want to influence obesity care!

After you take #OACAction, tell us! Post a picture or video of your action, or write a social media status that explains how you made a difference. Then, be sure to use the hashtag #OACAction so others can see what you’ve done. Thank you for your efforts!