"Does Medicaid Pay for Weight-Loss Drugs?"
Depending upon where you live, the answer will vary.
Just like different insurance plans may have exclusions of coverage for weight loss-related programs and treatment, so do the insurance plans provided for by state Medicaid programs.
As part of the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services Department of Health Policy research team released a report in September 2010 titled, "A Heavy Burden: The Individual Costs of Being Overweight and Obese in the United States."
Around the same time, GW published side-by-side reports highlighting how each state tackles obesity through insurance coverage, state regulations, and incentive programs.
The question "Will Medicaid Pay for Weight Loss Drugs" is answered in the August 2010 report Medicaid Fee For Service Treatment of Obesity Intervention (pdf).
Organized by state, this research booklet provides state-specific information related to preventive coverage for adults, pregnant women and children (up to 21), coverage related to co-morbidities, pharmaceutical coverage, surgical coverage, and incentive programs.
Although Medicaid is not required to cover weight loss medications, many states have opted to add coverage for patients fitting specific criteria.
Common pharmaceuticals prescribed for weight loss include the lipase inhibitors
Xenical（Orlistat），Meridia（Sibutramine）和Adipex（Phentermine）。
A lipase inhibitor works by blocking the enzyme lipase which helps to break down dietary fat.
如果消耗的脂肪不能被分解,它失败s to be absorbed into the blood stream and will be passed through the gastrointestinal tract instead.
The first of these medications (Xenical) was approved by the FDA in 1999.
通常，当用于减肥目的时，似乎众所周胺，含糊胺状药物和食欲抑制剂没有覆盖。
根本没有报道
Twenty-seven states exclude any coverage of drugs commonly prescribed for weight-loss purposes.
These states include: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Partial Coverage
Some states provide coverage for lipase inhibitor drugs or amphetamines, but not specifically for the diagnosis of obesity.
这些国家包括：爱达荷，密歇根州，明尼苏达州，密苏里州，内布拉斯加州，纽约和俄勒冈州。
Prior authorization may require that the patient have a covered diagnosis such as Type II diabetes (Minnesota), dyslipidemia (Missouri), or other condition (Nebraska, New York, Oregon).
指定Xenical（Orlistat）覆盖范围的国家包括明尼苏达州，密苏里州和内布拉斯加州。
In addition to Xenical, Oregon Medicaid covers Meridia (Sibutramine) and Adipex (Phentermine).
爱达荷州和纽约没有指定医疗补助下涵盖哪些脂肪酶抑制剂。
提前授权的覆盖范围
Eighteen states offer pharmaceutical coverage for weight-loss products provided that certain criteria are met.
These states include: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Within this group, states which limit coverage to Xenical (Orlistat) include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Dakota, and South Carolina.
Hawaii covers Xenical (Orlistat) and Meridia (Sibutramine).
涵盖医疗补助下的所有三种脂肪酶抑制剂（Xenical，Meridia和Adipex）的国家包括堪萨斯州，罗德岛，南部Datoka和佛蒙特州。
Coverage with Restrictions
在医疗报价报道对减肥处方的一些限制是预期的，而其他人则有趣。
For example, Georgia covers Xenical, but only for persons aged 12-21 and only for one year.
Rhode Island covers any weight-loss drug but for only 3 months with prior authorization.
Several states (Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina) specify that weight-loss drugs are only approved for persons who have a BMI ≥ 30, or BMI ≥ 27 if the patient has a co-morbidity such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, sleep apnea, or coronary artery disease.
然而，北达科他州要求患者从BMI开始，六个月减少至少5％的体重;一旦患者的BMI得到30以下，处方覆盖率就会终止。
当患者的BMI低于24时，威斯康星州将在威斯康星州拒绝重量损失药物的要求。
一些州（阿拉巴马州，爱荷华州，密歇根州，佛蒙特州）要求患者在收到减肥药物批准之前尝试了六个月后的医生监督饮食方案。
Other states (Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas) require that the patient successfully lose 5% of their weight in 3 months or 10% in 6 months.
事先授权批准通常涵盖3-6个月。
若干州（阿拉巴马州，夏威夷，爱荷华州，堪萨斯州，佛蒙特州，威斯康星州）规定患者还必须遵循推荐的治疗计划，其中包括减少卡路里饮食，运动和行为咨询等事物。
As you can see, the requirements for Medicaid coverage of weight-loss drugs vary greatly by state.
For more information, see the report Medicaid Fee For Service Treatment of Obesity Intervention (pdf).
未来的帖子将讨论肥胖症手术的医疗补助范围。
March 20, 2011
重量：232.8磅
2011年3月27日
重量：232.8磅
