title: Designing insurance to promote use of childhood obesity prevention services.
abstract: Childhood obesity is a recognized public health crisis. This paper reviews the lessons learned from a voluntary initiative to expand insurance coverage for childhood obesity prevention and treatment services in the United States. In-depth telephone interviews were conducted with key informants from 16 participating health plans and employers in 2010-11. Key informants reported difficulty ensuring that both providers and families were aware of the available services. Participating health plans and employers are beginning new tactics including removing enrollment requirements, piloting enhanced outreach to selected physician practices, and educating providers on effective care coordination and use of obesity-specific billing codes through professional organizations. The voluntary initiative successfully increased private health insurance coverage for obesity services, but the interviews described variability in implementation with both best practices and barriers identified. Increasing utilization of obesity-related health services in the long term will require both family- and provider-focused interventions in partnership with improved health insurance coverage.
authors.affiliation: Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. krask@emory.edu
authors.forename: Kimberly J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Rask
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gazmararian
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kohler
authors.forename: Jonathan N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Hawley
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bogard
authors.forename: Victoria A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000458:organization & administration; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000458:organization & administration*; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016730:Program Development; D014481:United States; D014836:Volition; D055815:Young Adult