Statement: Confirmation of CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
WASHINGTON, DC – The Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) today released a statement on the confirmation of CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure:
OCAN would like to congratulate Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on her confirmation as the next CMS administrator. As a highly qualified and dedicated public servant, Administrator Brooks-LaSure is taking the reins at a pivotal moment.
Our nation is grappling with a severely stressed healthcare system and outdated Medicare regulations that leave more than 40 million seniors living with obesity without access to the full continuum of care – including robust Intensive Behavioral Therapy and coverage of FDA approved anti-obesity medications.
Obesity disproportionately impacts Medicare’s most vulnerable, including communities of color and people living in rural America. The inability to access treatments causes additional suffering for some of the most disenfranchised in our health care system.
Obesity is a disease, and the healthcare community knows it's treatable. We look forward to working with the new Administrator to ensure our laws and regulations catch up to science.
About the Obesity Care Advocacy Network
The Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) is a diverse group of organizations that have come together to change how we perceive and approach obesity in the United States. OCAN envisions a future where obesity is fully recognized and treated as a complex chronic disease.
For additional information, please visit https://obesitycareadvocacynetwork.com/.