ABSTRACT
The history of obesity and its hard-earned recognition as a chronic disease is marked by decades of incremental legislative and administrative advancements, each one advancing validation of the disease as a significant public health threat—one worthy of research attention and financial support to elucidate its etiologies and optimal treatment approaches. The medical community now largely recognizes obesity as a chronic disease often accompanied by multiple comorbidities with the collective potential to affect nearly every organ system. The effective and long-term treatment of obesity requires a comprehensive and multifactorial approach; however, there is wide variation in coverage for validated treatment options, leading to a treatment landscape marred by inconsistent or non-existent insurance coverage for strategies long-proven to be effective. The hope is that ongoing advocacy and advancement of effective therapies will eventually lead to the equitable availability of all treatment options to the growing number of individuals with obesity in the United States and worldwide.
