Employers’ Critical Role in the Fight against Obesity
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According to the CDC, the U.S. obesity rate was 41.9% as of March 2020. Current projections have this rising to half of all Americans within the next 8 years. Health experts have declared this a public health crisis, but employers have been slow to recognize their role in fighting this costly chronic disease.
Obesity-related comorbidities including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain types of cancer add significant cost to health plans. The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the United States was $248 billion in 2020. The cost of diabetes alone accounts for approximately 1 in 4 health care dollars spent.
Science has debunked the stigma of obesity being a personal failing of the individual similar to its disproving that substance abuse could be overcome by just saying no. Today there are several therapies and treatment options that have proven effective in preventing and/or reversing obesity, but outdated mores and coverage protocols stand in the way of patients’ access to improved health.
Employers play a critical role in the health of Americans. Approximately half of the country gets their health coverage through an employer related plan. Any meaningful inroads into the fight against obesity will necessarily require employers to play a leading role.
This webcast will explore the role an employer can play in the fight against obesity and discuss tangible steps for them to consider in reducing obesity rates as well as lowering their overall long term health costs.
Learning Objectives:
- The scope of the crisis caused by the obesity epidemic
- The array of new treatment options
- The importance of access to preventive care including behavioral counseling, medications and nutritional therapy in addition to invasive bariatric surgery
- The disproportionate impact obesity has on communities of color
- The importance of chronic disease de-stigmatization around obesity
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Accessibility & Accommodations Information: For detailed accessibility & accommodations information, visit INFO > FAQs in the app.
George Huntley
George J. Huntley – CEO, Diabetes Leadership Council
George is a founding member of the Diabetes Leadership Council (501c3) and currently serves as CEO of both the DLC and its affiliate, the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (501c4). He has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1983 and has 3 other family members also living with T1D. A passionate advocate for people with diabetes, George is a past National Chair of the Board of the American Diabetes Association and currently serves as Treasurer of Children With Diabetes.
A former CPA, George spent his business career as CFO of Theoris Group, Inc., United Pentek, Inc. and MicroProse Games, Inc. In his corporate roles, he was the plan administrator of self-insured, employer-based health plans for more than 25 years. He learned firsthand the impact of chronic disease management on his company’s bottom line and the importance of strategic health plan design decisions to manage cost, reduce overall risk and improve health outcomes. George is also a highly rated and frequent speaker on the topic of health plan design and drug pricing.
Eden Miller, MD
Dr. Eden Miller, an Osteopathic board-certified Family Practitioner, received her medical degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1997. She completed her residency in Family Practice at East Moreland Hospital in Portland, Oregon. Recently completing her certification in Obesity management, she is founder of Diabetes Nation, a nonprofit, and CEO of Diabetes and Obesity Care LLC where she practices with her husband, Dr. Kevin Miller.
Dr. Miller gained a special interest in diabetes after contracting type-1 while in medical school, which led to extending her practice into diabetes care. Dr. Miller has given 1250+ lectures to health care providers and patients on Diabetes Management, CGM Technology, Insulin Pump Therapy, Obesity and Metabolism intervention, Clinical Research, and Healthcare Policy.
Mary Himmelstein, PhD
Dr. Himmelstein graduated from Rutgers, New Brunswick in 2016 with a PhD in social-health psychology followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. She joined the faculty at Kent State in 2019. Prior to her graduate studies she worked as a lab manager for the nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman on wellbeing and provided support for his book Thinking Fast and Slow.
Dr. Himmelstein also worked as a data analyst for the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study at Princeton. Dr. Himmelstein’s current work focuses on weight stigma through an intersectional lens. She explores how individuals with multiple marginalized identities experience weight stigma as well as other forms of prejudice and discrimination. In turn she examines how stigma influences health behavior related to cardioembolic disease, stress, and interactions with the healthcare system.
