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Obesity Counsel Covered Medicare Preventive Service
Just in time for many New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and maintain a healthier lifestyle, Medicare announced that its repertoire of covered preventive services under the Affordable Care Act would be growing yet again with the goal of reducing obesity.
According to an article recently published online by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), “Over 30% of both men and women in the Medicare population are estimated to be obese. Obesity is directly or indirectly associated with many chronic diseases, including those that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.” CMS hopes that the expansion of preventive services to reduce obesity will address these issues and help “close the gap on health disparities among Medicare beneficiaries.”
Under the new benefit, eligible beneficiaries can participate in a free screening by a primary care provider who would use a patient’s body mass index to determine if he or she tests positive for obesity. For those deemed medically obese, Medicare would cover up to 12 months of counseling if the patient loses at least 6.6 pounds during the first six months of therapy. Counseling would include one face-to-face visit each week for one month, one face-to-face visit every other week for five months and one visit every month for an additional six months if the beneficiary loses the accepted amount of weight.
Medicare has a growing list of covered preventive services such as breast cancer screenings, osteoporosis screenings, colon cancer screenings, heart disease screenings and more. For additional information on covered screenings, call 1-800-MEDICARE and listen for the prompts. Have your Medicare numbers available. You can also schedule an appointment with your primary care physician who will direct your preventative care. Covered screenings are subject to change and may require a certain amount of time to pass in between screenings before they are covered.
St. James Parish Hospital is a Joint Commission Accredited, full-service facility providing excellent, quality and compassionate healthcare to the community since 1955. For more information, visit www.sjph.org or call 225.869.5512.
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St. James Parish Hospital | 1645 Lutcher Avenue | Lutcher, LA 70071 | Phone: (225) 869-5512 | Fax: (225) 869-4956
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