Enacts provisions to expand the kinds of wellness programs that can be offered to enrollees

3 Co-sponsors

• David Carlucci
• Diane J. Savino
• David J. Valesky

Purpose or general idea of bill

The purpose of this bill is to establish a more comprehensive inter-disciplinary way to promote wellness programs and to combat obesity. The incidence of obesity is a rapidly growing public health, social, and economic concern that is adversely affecting the overall health and wellbeing of our next generation of New Yorkers. In fact, acute and chronic adverse health conditions such as diabetes, chronic coronary conditions, and respiratory illnesses caused by obesity conditions is about to overtake those acute and chronic adverse health conditions caused by smoking tobacco. This bill attempts to better integrate current programs and laws that relate to promoting wellness programs and combating obesity.

Summary of provisions

This bill hopes to establish a more comprehensive inter-disciplinary approach to address the high incidence of obesity in New York State by promoting more wellness and physical fitness programs.

Section 1: Amends Insurance Law section 3239 which relates to Wellness Programs that can be sponsored by a health insurance plan. This provision expands the kinds of Wellness Programs that can be covered under the Insurance Law to include substance or alcohol abuse cessation programs and programs to manage and cope with chronic pain. In addition, the bill expands and provides for the full or partial reimbursement for the cost of participating in programs that are already currently authorized under this provision of the law, such as programs related to stress and or hypertension, worker injury prevention and nutrition education. Addressing the kinds of conditions above should increase each individual's well being, enable them to do more physical activity, and thereby reduce the incidence of obesity.

Justification

The growing prevalence of overweight and obese individuals is a crisis that is facing the entire nation. Obesity related health care expenditures in New York are some of the highest in the nation. Further, contrary to the lower prevalence of obesity among adults, children in New York are more likely to be obese or overweight when compared to national trends. Obesity and overweight conditions in individuals are leading to higher incidences of life threatening conditions and substantial economic costs both to the State of New York for health care costs and to employers in lost work time and higher health care costs. Obesity in children tends to manifest itself more widely among poorer children and children whose parents have lower education levels.

The rising incidence of childhood obesity is a serious medical problem that continues to grow, especially among poorer and minority communities. Further, obesity is known to cause or exacerbate a number of serious chronic medical disorders including hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and respiratory dysfunction. Nearly 80% of patients with diabetes mellitus are obese, while nearly 70% of diagnosed cases of cardiovascular disease are related to obesity. Obesity ranks only second to smoking as a preventable cause of death. Unfortunately, preventable deaths caused by obesity conditions is rapidly approaching and will surpass those deaths caused by smoking tobacco.

While the high prevalence of obesity and overweight conditions is an important public health concern when it affects adults. It should be of heightened concern that this adult affliction is now becoming more common among children. When obesity conditions afflict children this poses, significant quality of life detriments to such persons, reduces childhood obesity, asthma, and chronic bronchitis or other respiratory diseases

Prior legislative history

New Bill

Effective date

180th day after is shall have become law.