AICR
Leave the politics aside, if you can. All of us who work to fight cancer and other chronic diseases can agree on one thing: We need to do more than treat the problem. We need an increased national focus on preventio
n.
The Affordable Care Act that goes into action tomorrow, October 1, marks significant progress on that score. Its increased focus on obesity is an acknowledgement that obesity causes major health issues. AICR research shows that obesity increases the risk for seven different cancers.
For the first time, you can receive obesity screening and counseling at no charge. This handy USA Today article reviews some of the ways that different plans will address obesity counseling and related efforts.
Bookmark this Healthcare.gov page, which reviews the preventive care benefits available under the ACA.
Again, this is an important day, but more and better prevention efforts are sorely needed and long overdue. And if there’s one thing our policy report makes clear, it’s that government can’t do it alone. All levels of society – industry, schools, health professionals, the media, individuals – had a hand in creating the obesity epidemic, and must play a role in the kind of sweeping societal changes needed to make it easier for everyone to make healthy, cancer protective choices.
