New Arizona law could open door to Medicaid coverage for obesity treatments

As congressional Republicans attempt to cut Medicaid spending, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill that could expand the program in Arizona to cover treatments for obesity.

Senate Bill 1711, which passed the Arizona Legislature with bipartisan support, creates a study committee to investigate “the cost, potential savings, effectiveness, health outcomes and value” of providing coverage for obesity treatments to people covered by the Arizona Healthcare Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS, Arizona’s Medicaid program.

Hobbs signed the bill weeks after Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed a version of President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” that would cut billions of dollars in federal Medicaid spending.

Rep. Alexander Kolodin (R-Scottsdale), a staunch Trump supporter, called study committees like the one created by the bill a “gateway drug” to new Medicaid spending, because they could be used to justify new coverages and programs that would ultimately require additional funding in the future.

“And just as President Trump has sealed the border to try to get less drugs into our state, we should also be taking less government spending gateway drugs,” Kolodin said.

But Rep. Selina Bliss (R-Prescott), who voted for SB 1711 early last month, said the bill Hobbs signed wouldn’t result in any immediate new Medicaid costs, because it doesn’t cost anything to convene a study committee.

“I don't have to cite the numbers. It's rather alarming,” Bliss said, “All you have to do is leave this country, come back after a week, and you can see the difference of obesity in this country, so it's about time we pin down the options and look at the causes.”

According to the CDC, over 40% of American adults were living with obesity between 2021 and 2023, up from 30% between 1999 and 2000.

SB 1711 passed both the Arizona House and Senate with bipartisan support, though a handful of Republicans in both chambers opposed the bill.

However, the legislation’s supporters said there is a real possibility the bill saves taxpayers money by paying for earlier medical interventions for people living with obesity that could help them avoid more costly visits to the hospital down the line with chronic ailments like heart disease or diabetes.

“There are medications that we know have proven to help folks to lose the weight so that we don't have to continue to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars when individuals end up in the hospital,” she said.

That’s why Rep. Matt Gress (R-Phoenix) said he supported SB 1711.

“I just note here that what really appeals to me in this bill is that it directs the study committee to identify any additional resources or policy initiatives that would enhance public health and reduce costs associated with treating people living with obesity,” Gress said.

But Rep. Nick Kupper (R-Surprise) said more money should be spent on preventing obesity in the first place rather than covering treatments for people living with obesity.

“The best treatment is getting to the root cause and preventing obesity in the first place,” Kupper said.

Gress noted the Legislature has already passed other bills this year that lawmakers believe will accomplish that goal, including legislation signed by Hobbs that limits the use of ultraprocessed foods in school lunches - though some experts argue removing processed foods is only half the battle after the Trump administration cut funding to pay to bring fresh, local food to school cafeterias.

The study committee will be made up of a collection of experts and stakeholders, including lawmakers, patient advocates, doctors and a registered dietician. The directors of Arizona’s Medicaid program and the Department of Health Services - two positions that Hobbs has had a difficult time filling due to opposition from Senate Republicans - also sit on the committee.