The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) thanks the DeWine Administration and the Ohio Department of
Administrative Services for recognizing the need to address the chronic disease of obesity in Ohio. This is
a positive first step resulting from months of stakeholder advocacy and outreach to state government
leaders.

Effective October 7, Ohio will launch a new weight management program for state employees that
includes partial reimbursement for Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved GLP-1 medications for
those who meet medical eligibility criteria. The duration of the program is unclear.

While the pilot program reinstates access that was cut earlier this year, it does not restore the same
level of coverage. The pilot program will be overseen by Virta, a third party, requiring participants to
transition to new providers instead of receiving care from their doctor of choice.

The program will cover up to 2,500 qualified employees and include limited access to GLP-1 medications
at a reduced cost of $299 per month after the state’s $200 reimbursement is applied. State employees
initially must pay the full $499 for their medication and wait up to six weeks to receive their $200
reimbursement from the state, which can be a significant barrier for potential participants.

To that end, OAC continues to support the advancement of HB 388 from Rep. Josh Williams which was
just assigned to the House General Government Committee. HB 388 would allow state employees to
continue to receive obesity care from their provider of choice and reduces patient out of pocket costs
for GLP-1 medications in comparison to the pilot recently introduced by the state. Rep. Williams has
indicated this is the first step toward improved access to obesity care for all in Ohio.

OAC is hopeful that once state employees have improved access to obesity treatments, that the focus
will shift toward providing comprehensive obesity care for those in Medicaid. OAC has been working to
convince the DeWine Administration and the Ohio Department of Medicaid to remove the prohibition
against Medicaid coverage for obesity medications. 36% of Ohio’s adult population have obesity, and
overall, 70% of Ohioans are experiencing obesity or overweight. Now is not the time to block pathways
to treatment access. Take action now!