 |
|
|
July 19, 2005
Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles, CA - More than 5 million Californians enrolled in HMOs - more than half of all enrollees ages 12 to 64 - are overweight or obese, according a new policy brief by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The study, commissioned by the California Office of the Patient Advocate, highlights the role that California HMOs can play in addressing the growing problem of overweight and obesity among the state's residents.
Currently, the number of overweight and obese residents of California between ages 12 and 64 stands at about 13 million, meaning that more than a third are enrolled in HMOs. By promoting services that address the problem among their enrollees, HMOs can not only help their members lead healthier and more productive lives, but also take a major step toward addressing a key source of rising health care costs. Overweight and obesity currently adds approximately $7.7 billion to medical care costs in California each year.
"This is more than just an opportunity for HMOs to address the major health crisis of overweight and obesity that is facing their members, it's also proof that HMOs can do something to reign in these spiraling health care costs," said Gerald Kominski, associate director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and lead author of the study.
In their review of data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey - the most comprehensive survey of the state's residents on health issues - the brief's authors found that while the average combined prevalence of overweight and obesity in the state's seven largest HMOs stood at 52 percent, there were significant differences among individual HMOs. Aetna (59 percent), Kaiser (54 percent) and Health Net (53 percent) reported higher than average prevalence of overweight and obesity. Cigna (52 percent), Blue Cross (51 percent), Blue Shield (49 percent) and PacifiCare (49 percent) were at or below the state HMO average. The authors note that these differences across plans are not attributable to demographic factors among members, such as age and race/ethnicity.
"While the rates of overweight and obesity appear to vary, the real take-home message is that they are high in all the major health plans that were studied," said Ed Mendoza, acting director of the California Office of the Patient Advocate, an independent state agency that advocates for HMO consumers. "This study's most important value is that it gives us a baseline that we can use to measure change over time and evaluate the progress that HMOs make in addressing this critical problem."
The policy brief was unveiled to the public today at L.A. Care Health Plan's "Training on Obesity Intervention Strategies" in Universal City. The training was designed for doctors, nurses and clinic staff personnel that provide health care services to low-income and vulnerable populations that are disproportionately affected by obesity.
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research was established in 1994 and is one of the nation's leading health policy research centers. It is also the premier source of key health policy information for California. The Center is based in the UCLA School of Public Health and is affiliated with the UCLA School of Public Affairs.
See the Policy Brief -->
|
|
