Mississippi state officials say they will cover the costs of bariatric surgery for Medicaid beneficiaries, according to Healthcare DIVE.
Here are five things to know:
1. The coverage includes diseases related to obesity, such as heart disease and diabetes.
2. For 10 consecutive years, Mississippi has ranked as the state with the highest obesity rate. It was beaten only just last year by Arkansas.
3. According to federal data, Mississippi remains in first place for cardiovascular-related deaths with 250 per 1,000 residents every year, and is in second place for diabetes rates with over 12.5 percent of the population (276,000 people) with type 2 diabetes.
4. According to Erin Cummins, MD, director of the bariatric surgery department at Central Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., the new coverage will increase state and federal expenditures more than $14 million a year, but also claims that this will ultimately save the state money.
5. In total, 34.9 percent of American adults are obese (78.6 million U.S. adults), and this number is expected to increase to 44 percent of adults by 2030, according to a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.