Obesity Discussion Forums - View Single Post

Obesity Discussion · 01-27-07, 11:58 PM

Innovative Collaboration to Help Curb West Virginia Obesity
Saturday January 27, 1:00 pm ET UniCare's focus on improving health offers members new resource aimed at achieving weight management goals

CHARLESTON, W.Va., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ --

UniCare Health Plan of West Virginia, Inc. announced today a groundbreaking collaboration with Weight Watchers of West Virginia, Inc. to curb the obesity problem in West Virginia. The program is aimed at UniCare's more than 75,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in state.

The collaboration is the first of its kind in West Virginia and will allow UniCare's members - with a physician's approval - the opportunity to participate in a 16-week Weight Watchers course free of charge.
"UniCare offers our members access to a unique personalized health benefits model aimed at improving the health of West Virginians," said John Monahan, vice president and executive director of UniCare West Virginia. "We recognize that maintaining a healthy weight is important to an individual's overall well-being, and we are pleased to make this program available to our members in West Virginia to assist them in achieving their weight management goals."
"Our collaboration with Weight Watchers of West Virginia is based on the mutual goal to help individuals achieve their ideal weight in order to lead a healthier more active lifestyle," said Monahan.
The program is not only available to qualified adults, but also to children and adolescents from 10 to 17 years of age. Criteria for qualifying patients include:
* Obtaining a physician referral * For children ages 10 to 17, having a Body Mass Index (BMI) score in the 85th percentile or above * For adults, having a BMI score of 25 or greater

"The major benefit for our company is the fact that we get the opportunity to help people who normally would not be served by Weight Watchers," said Millie Snyder, CEO of Weight Watchers of West Virginia.
Recent health trends in the state show a need for programs such as UniCare's:
* 64% of West Virginia adults are obese or overweight. (CDC BRFSS, 2002) * 29% of West Virginia high school students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC YRBSS, 2003) * Obesity is also spreading among West Virginia children. Nearly 43% of 5,887 children screened in a coronary artery risk project from 1999- 2002 were considered overweight, and more than 25% were considered obese. (www.wvdhhr.org) * The Medicaid Estimated Medical and Pharmacy Costs related to Obesity- Related Diseases in WV from July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001 totaled $135,385,774.22. (www.wvdhhr.org) * The obesity rate among West Virginia adults increased by 83% from 1990 to 2002. (CDC BRFSS, 1990, 2002)

After learning of the program, the Governor and First Lady offered their support as well.
"The Governor and I are pleased that UniCare, through this collaboration, is seeking out innovative ways to curb West Virginia's obesity problem," said First Lady Manchin. "We hope that this effort will spur on similar collaborations in our state."
WellPoint, Inc., the parent company of UniCare, serves more than two million Medicaid managed care members in 14 states and Puerto Rico. Members have access to a wide network of health care professionals as well as health management programs that are accredited and nationally recognized in several states.
Physicians and UniCare members can receive more information on the program by calling 1-866-513-8352.
UniCare serves 1.6 million medical members and is an operating subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc., the largest publicly traded commercial health benefits company in terms of membership in the United States. WellPoint offers a broad spectrum of quality network-based health products including open access PPO, POS and hybrid products, HMO and specialty products. Specialty products include pharmacy benefit management, dental, utilization management, vision, mental health, life and disability insurance, long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, COBRA administration, and Medicare supplements. UniCare can be found on the web at www.unicare.com.
Obesity in West Virginia

01-27-07, 11:58 PM	#3 (permalink)
Obesity Discussion Administrator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 7,874 Weight Statistics 8/1/2006 Start Date: 185 lb Start Weight: 152 lb Current Weight: 155 lb Goal Weight: -33 lb Weight Loss: 5/1/2007 Goal Date:	Innovative Collaboration to Help Curb West Virginia Obesity Saturday January 27, 1:00 pm ET UniCare's focus on improving health offers members new resource aimed at achieving weight management goals CHARLESTON, W.Va., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- UniCare Health Plan of West Virginia, Inc. announced today a groundbreaking collaboration with Weight Watchers of West Virginia, Inc. to curb the obesity problem in West Virginia. The program is aimed at UniCare's more than 75,000 Medicaid beneficiaries in state. The collaboration is the first of its kind in West Virginia and will allow UniCare's members - with a physician's approval - the opportunity to participate in a 16-week Weight Watchers course free of charge. "UniCare offers our members access to a unique personalized health benefits model aimed at improving the health of West Virginians," said John Monahan, vice president and executive director of UniCare West Virginia. "We recognize that maintaining a healthy weight is important to an individual's overall well-being, and we are pleased to make this program available to our members in West Virginia to assist them in achieving their weight management goals." "Our collaboration with Weight Watchers of West Virginia is based on the mutual goal to help individuals achieve their ideal weight in order to lead a healthier more active lifestyle," said Monahan. The program is not only available to qualified adults, but also to children and adolescents from 10 to 17 years of age. Criteria for qualifying patients include: * Obtaining a physician referral * For children ages 10 to 17, having a Body Mass Index (BMI) score in the 85th percentile or above * For adults, having a BMI score of 25 or greater "The major benefit for our company is the fact that we get the opportunity to help people who normally would not be served by Weight Watchers," said Millie Snyder, CEO of Weight Watchers of West Virginia. Recent health trends in the state show a need for programs such as UniCare's: * 64% of West Virginia adults are obese or overweight. (CDC BRFSS, 2002) * 29% of West Virginia high school students are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. (CDC YRBSS, 2003) * Obesity is also spreading among West Virginia children. Nearly 43% of 5,887 children screened in a coronary artery risk project from 1999- 2002 were considered overweight, and more than 25% were considered obese. (www.wvdhhr.org) * The Medicaid Estimated Medical and Pharmacy Costs related to Obesity- Related Diseases in WV from July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001 totaled $135,385,774.22. (www.wvdhhr.org) * The obesity rate among West Virginia adults increased by 83% from 1990 to 2002. (CDC BRFSS, 1990, 2002) After learning of the program, the Governor and First Lady offered their support as well. "The Governor and I are pleased that UniCare, through this collaboration, is seeking out innovative ways to curb West Virginia's obesity problem," said First Lady Manchin. "We hope that this effort will spur on similar collaborations in our state." WellPoint, Inc., the parent company of UniCare, serves more than two million Medicaid managed care members in 14 states and Puerto Rico. Members have access to a wide network of health care professionals as well as health management programs that are accredited and nationally recognized in several states. Physicians and UniCare members can receive more information on the program by calling 1-866-513-8352. UniCare serves 1.6 million medical members and is an operating subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc., the largest publicly traded commercial health benefits company in terms of membership in the United States. WellPoint offers a broad spectrum of quality network-based health products including open access PPO, POS and hybrid products, HMO and specialty products. Specialty products include pharmacy benefit management, dental, utilization management, vision, mental health, life and disability insurance, long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts, COBRA administration, and Medicare supplements. UniCare can be found on the web at www.unicare.com. Obesity in West Virginia __________________