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New research, reported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has determined that access to safe neighborhood spaces for physical activity can help families and kids maintain a healthy weight, but it is not often enough.
According to a recent estimate, nearly 40% of U.S. Latino youths ages 2-19 are overweight or obese, compared with only 28.5% of non-Latino white youths. Also, the percentage of those who are overweight or obese between ages 2-5 is nearly 30% for Latino children compared with only 21% of non-Latino white children.
According to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana healthcare economist Mike Bertaut, healthcare providers—and health insurers—play a critical role for families and children at high risk for obesity and/or obesity-related disease.
“Obesity is the consummate ‘straight talk issue,’” Bertaut writes, “Straight talk isn’t just about rates that are rising because of regulatory changes; it’s about transparency and communication about what we are—and aren’t—doing to help ourselves out when it comes to the rising costs of medical care.”
Providers worry about offending their patients, and they rarely have or get the training they need to engage around issues such as body weight. Beginning in 2016, Bertaut’s employer began to offer the “Healthier Generation Benefit” to 73,000 children across the state. The benefit offers special training for providers about discussing weight and other sensitive issues with families.
Covered children qualify for:
- Free BMI screening as part of an annual wellness exam.
- Four visits with a registered dietitian to provide tips to families about healthy eating.
- Additional care as needed, including primary care visits and up to six months of intensive counseling, when appropriate.
Children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, which together cover approximately one-third of U.S. children, can take advantage of the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment benefit, which covers obesity-related services.
The Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration program (which is part of Medicaid) is testing obesity prevention efforts in multiple settings, including schools, healthcare, and child care centers. Children are not the only ones benefitting from these new measures. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) now requires coverage of obesity screenings and counseling for people of all ages.
Read more about the story here.
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By The Numbers
25.1
percent
of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage
