November 23, 2004

Vol. 7 No. 8

Dear Colleagues,

Obesity is back on the front pages again with the news that Medicare may soon cover certain weight loss interventions. Back in July, Medicare chief Mark McClellan announced that “medical science will now determine whether we provide coverage for the treatments that reduce complications and improve the quality of life for the millions of Medicare beneficiaries who are obese.”

It’s a fine plan, and a long-overdue recognition that obesity is a disease with costly and widespread effects on health. But the evidence base for obesity intervention for older Americans just isn’t there – not for the drugs, not for the surgery and certainly not for obesity-related behavior change. We need more researchers to take an interest in elderly obesity research before any of these interventions can be deemed safe, effective and worth paying for.

Hope your holidays are off to a great start,

Cheers --

Jessie Gruman, Ph.D.
President and Executive Director
Center for the Advancement of Health

	July 23, 2004 Vol. 7 No. 8
	Greetings
	Obesity Roundup: Medicare and More
	Presidential Science Appointments Should be Timely, Transparent
	NIH Roadmap One Year Later
	Patient Advocates, Sponsors Polled on Clinical Research Priorities
	The Lessons of Translation: Commonwealth Fund Report
	Washington Update
	Spotlight on Resources
	Health and Behavior in the News
	Past Issues
	Announcements
	Funding
	Calls for Submissions/Nominatitons
	Conferences and Events
	Career Opportunities
	About this Newsletter