Medicare Clarifies Policy On Bariatric Surgery
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced that Medicare will cover bariatric surgery for beneficiaries that are morbidly obese with type 2 diabetes.
Under the
new policy, CMS will consider covering bariatric surgery for individuals with a body-mass index of at least 35 that have type 2 diabetes, as long as the surgery is performed at a CMS-approved facility. Previously, overweight diabetics could qualify for coverage of the surgery, even if their BMI was slightly less than 35. A normal BMI falls in the range of 18.5 to 25.
"Limiting coverage of bariatric surgery in type 2 diabetic patients who are not considered clinically obese is part of Medicare's ongoing commitment to ensure access to the most effective treatment alternatives with good evidence of benefit, while limiting coverage where the current evidence suggests the risks outweigh the benefits," says Dr. Barry Straube, director of the agency's office of clinical standards and quality.
Article provided by Employee BenefitNews 02/19/09
Employees Say Wellness Benefits Lower Health Care Costs
More American workers are connecting the dots on how wellness programs can help rein in health care costs, according to the recent Principal Financial Well-Being Index. About 51% of employees report that workplace wellness benefits are successful at lowering health care expenses.
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Wellness.
Ready To Quit Smoking?
Nearly 1 in 5 Americans are at least occasional smokers, risking cancer, heart disease and a shortened life span -- and costing the nation more than $193 billion annually, including healthcare costs and decreased workplace productivity among smokers, the CDC says. They continue to light up even as employers increasingly charge higher health insurance premiums for smokers.
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Quit Smoking.
Workplace Stress Research Promotes Benefits
Companies can play a direct role by taking care of their work force through employment practices designed to reduce stress and promote camaraderie in the workplace,” according to Schipani. “In addition to improving the lives of their employees and benefitting shareholders, providing employees ways to reduce stress and promote health may also have a positive impact on society.”
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Benefitnews.
Diabetes Keeps Rising Among U.S. Adults
The most recent analysis of data on diabetes in the United States finds that almost 13 percent of adults aged 20 and older have the condition, 40 percent of whom have not been diagnosed.
That's a larger proportion of diagnosed patients than noted in a previous study, although the percentage of undiagnosed individuals has remained the same.
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Diabetes.
Exercise Is Neglected Therapy for Chronic Low Back and Neck Pain
Less than half of patients with chronic low back or neck pain are prescribed exercise, one of the few moderately effective interventions, researchers here said.
In a survey of nearly 700 patients with chronic low back or neck pain, only 14.4% were prescribed exercise by their physicians, Janet Freburger, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues reported in the February issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Exercise.
