Affordable access, reimbursement crucial for comprehensive obesity care

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Comprehensive obesity care can treat a multitude of conditions, but it requires a “holistic recipe” of ingredients ranging from clinical education to effective interventions and reimbursement, a speaker said.

At Obesity Medicine 2025, Lydia C. Alexander, MD, FOMA, DABOM, DACLM, outgoing president of the Obesity Medicine Association and chief medical officer of Enara Health, told Healio that physicians need to advocate for themselves and their patients to make “the work that we do affordable.”

“That includes reimbursement for our work and our services,” she said. “If we can’t get paid and can’t make a living, we can’t operate in this space. Reimbursement will be very important.”

She also stressed the need for better access to treatment. Although lifestyle interventions are the foundation of obesity care, Alexander said bariatric surgery and pharmacological therapies are also crucial, so “we need affordable access.”

Alexander added that the genesis of many chronic conditions is obesity, so providing comprehensive obesity care can “move the needle in the U.S. health care system to get back to health care instead of sick care.”

Reference:

• Alexander L. Presidential welcome and address. Presented at: Obesity Medicine 2025. April 23-27, 2025; National Harber, Md.

For more information:

Lydia C. Alexander, MD, FOMA, DABOM, DABLM, outgoing president of the OMA and chief medical officer of Enara Health, can be reached at primarycare@healio.com.