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US state plans to offer free weight loss classes to 75,000 people
Facing more than $100 million (Dh367 million) in annual costs linked to obesity, a government health insurance programme for the poor plans to offer up to 75,000 people free weight loss courses through Weight Watchers.
- AP
- Published: 00:00 January 28, 2007
Charleston: Facing more than $100 million (Dh367 million) in annual costs linked to obesity, a government health insurance programme for the poor plans to offer up to 75,000 people free weight loss courses through Weight Watchers.
Some clients of West Virginia's state Medicaid programme who obtain a physician's referral and score within specific ranges on the fat-measuring body mass index will be eligible to take up to 16 weeks of courses for free from Weight Watchers.
The group is famous for its regular meetings and system of assigning points to different foods.
The programme is being carried out through health benefits group UniCare, which is the largest provider of Medicaid coverage in the state. UniCare covers about 75,000 of the estimated 370,000 state residents covered by Medicaid.
Partnership
Advocates of the programme hope the partnership will improve the health of residents in the state and serve as a model for other states that face a similar problem. West Virginia has the third-highest percentage of obese residents in the country, behind Mississippi and Tennessee.
"It's not just a West Virginia problem, it's a national problem," said John Monahan, president of state sponsored programmes for Indiana-based Wellpoint Inc, of which UniCare is a subsidiary.
If the programme is successful in West Virginia, Wellpoint will look at rolling out similar programmes in the 14 states where it provides benefits, Monahan said.
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