Lawmakers consider extending Arizona Medicaid to cover obesity medication

Arizona lawmakers and health experts are considering extending state Medicaid coverage to include treatment for obesity.

Lawmakers last week launched a study committee on the issue of obesity coverage under the state’s Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. The committee follows a Trump administration announcement of reductions in cost for weight loss drugs, like Ozempic, for Medicaid enrollees.

State Sen. David Gowan (R-Sierra Vista) said finding a way to expand weight loss services could save the state money by helping Arizonans avoid costly treatments for obesity-related health problems.

“Now that the federal government's done it just as well, we might as well get right in line and help our constituency, our citizens here, and double up and get this thing put to rest because if we can save money in the long run — heck that helps our constituencies just as well,” Gowan said.

Obesity is a leading risk factor for many life threatening conditions including heart disease.

Over the last few years, several states have implemented coverage for obesity medications.

The Arizona study committee plans to issue recommendations by the end of the year to the state Legislature on whether to expand Medicaid coverage.

The panelists also discussed other ways to increase obesity treatment and prevention besides medication and surgery, such as education about the dangers of ultra-processed foods.

Bariatric surgeon Christine Lovato said treating obesity as a primary disease would be extremely effective. She emphasized the need to shift stigma away from obesity.

“It still puts a lot of the blame on the patient. They have no control over the hormones that are talking to their hypothalamus,” Lovato said. “40%-70% of somebody's risk for the development of obesity comes from the genes they're born with. And we are creating a population of human beings that is consistently at higher risk for the development of this disease.”

The panelists also discussed how long treatment should last and when to take patients off of obesity treatment. The goal would be to find a way to take patients off of medication once they meet a certain goal, but it’s difficult to be sure the weight will be maintained.