weight loss surgery bill and state rep anthony d'amelio

for those of you lucky people who have him in your jurisdiction, i thought you might want to know he's against the upcoming bill requiring insurance companies to cover wls. i'm quoting him..." i would rather see people try to do it the harder way, excercize and eating properly, i know it's a struggle...i think it's the safest route." i already emailed him at [email protected] letting him have it. what ignorance, for him to just call it a "struggle". is that all it is i asked him? i also asked him if he thought those of us that are morbidly obese have never tried diet and excercize OUR ENTIRE LIVES, what is he thinking? i urge those of you in his jurisdiction to set him straight, and also those of you who aren't, lest he thinks he may have ambitions beyond just state representative! perfect example of the ignorance and prejudice we have all had to deal with our entired lives.

For those of writing to our legislators to ask them to support the gastric bypass insurance bill, below you'll find a messagel that you can cut and paste into the email (or letter) you will send. Having done my share of lobbying in the past, I have always found that it's helpful to give legislators all the facts they need to support a measure (particularly when it is being opposed by a powerful lobby): ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I am writing to ask your support of S.B. 1300/H.B. No. 5721, a bill which would require health insurance coverage for gastric bypass surgery. Like many people who struggled with their weight to the point of suffering serious medical problems because of it, I was given a second chance to live a long and healthy life because of the gastric bypass surgery that was performed on me at Norwalk Hospital. However, despite the recognition by the National Institute of Health that obesity is a disease and that gastric bypass surgery is the "gold standard" for the surgical treatment of this disease (the NIH study is available at http://www.niddk.nih.gov/fund/crfo/Bariatric-Surgery-final.pdf ), an overwhelming number of insurance companies are excluding gastric bypass surgery from the health plans of Connecticut's insured. Such a decision is grossly unfair as it discriminates against those among our population who suffer from morbid obesity. Admittedly, the reasons why any person becomes morbidly obese are complex-- there are neurological, psychological and physiological reasons why the body loses its ability to control its intake of food. However, gastric bypass surgery is a highly effective method of controlling this disease. And, perhaps most promising, the rapid weight loss which gastric bypass surgery brings results in long-term success; with that long-term success comes what is essentially a cure for high blood pressure, type II diabetes and sleep apnea. These results are, in fact, acknowledged by the insurance industry itself as is evident by a recent study conducted by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (which is available on-line at http://www.bcbs.com/tec/Vol18/18_09.pdf ). And, the success of gastric bypass surgery is not just in its relative short-term benefits, but also in the long-term success rates that gastric bypass patients enjoy in avoiding hypertension and type II diabetes, as has been well-documented by the New England Journal of Medicine (a summary of their analysis, which appeared in the December 23, 2004 edition of one of the nation's pre-eminent medical journals, is available at http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/351/26/2683 ). Therefore, to deny payment for gastric bypass surgery is to deny an invaluable and highly successful treatment for these co-morbidity disorders that afflict the morbidly obese in staggering numbers. Insurance industry claims that gastric bypass surgery is not effective are simply unfounded based on the evidence above. And, their further specious claim that gastric bypass surgery is too dangerous belies the high rate of pre-mature death suffered by the morbidly obese (who are plagued by higher rates of death due to cardiac disease, complications from diabetes and even cancer). In fact, the National Institutes of Health has reported staggering increased death rates among the morbidly obese (these statistics are available at http://win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/ ). For instance, people whose BMI was 40 or higher (which is the classification for people whose body-mass-index puts them in the "obese" range) suffered death rates from cancer that were 52 percent higher for men and 62 percent higher for women than rates for normal-weight men and women. In both men and women, higher BMI is associated with higher death rates from cancers of the esophagus, colon and rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and kidney. Regrettably, the same high death rates for the obese apply to cancers of the stomach and prostate in men and cancers of the breast, uterus, cervix, and ovaries in women. Obese individuals have a 50 to 100 percent increased risk of death from all causes, compared with normal-weight individuals.. So, for the insurance industry to claim that gastric bypass is "too dangerous" is simply without merit, particularly given that, as the National Institutes of Health has reported, the life expectancy of a morbidly obese white male is shortened by 13 years (with a staggering 20 year loss for African American men) and the life expectancy of the typical morbidly obese woman is shortened by up to 8 years. This is truly a life-and-death issue. If insurers were to declare that they would no longer pay for high blood pressure medication, or to exclude treatment for diabetes, the public outcry would be deafening. Yet, their decision to exclude gastric bypass surgery is akin to their refusal to treat these other conditions. The cure for morbid obesity that comes from gastric bypass surgery serves to cure these other conditions. And with these cures comes a longer, healthier and happier life-- Connecticut's citizens who suffer from morbid obesity deserve the same opportunity to improve their health and lengthen their lives that I was given. For these reasons, I would ask you to support S.B. 1300/H.B. 5721. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Steve: You're missing one fact: this bill is NOT just about BYPASS WLS. I's also about BANDING and, presumably, another other procedures that may be devised in the future, as well as "medically necessary post-surgical care."

I wrote to him some time ago...and have copied it to him again... I was angry too, but tried to temper it with some logic... Here's what I wrote: __________________________ Dear Rep. Damelio, I recently read some of your public comments regarding your lack of support for the above mentioned bill and your lack of understanding of the disease of obesity in general. Specifically, you have stated: " I would rather see people try to do it the harder way, exercise and eating properly, I know it's a struggle...I think it's the safest route." I'd like to point out to you that we are talking about legislation that will compel the treatment of a DISEASE, not a lifestyle choice. Obesity is a disease just the same as, say, Coronary Disease or Alcoholisim. Would you advocate that these diseases only be treated with lifestyle change, rather than the available and successful medical intervention that exists? Seriously, would you feel compelled to encourage someone with heart artery blockages to just change their diet and lifestyle, because that is certainly THE SAFEST ROUTE toward a cure for them? Sir, I propose you would not. Logically, you know that surgery to provide a temporary clearing of the arteries is the best option for them, though it is dangerous and has many risks, including death. Would you advocate that an Alcoholic simply 'do it the harder way' and just find the will to stop drinking, rather than seek psychological rehabilitation, detox and counseling that is the medically appropriate designated treatment for their disease? Again, I propose you would not. After surgery, both cases must maintain the benefits of their treatment or surgery by adapting a healthier lifestyle and habits. This is the EXACT same case for obesity surgery. Now, in all honestly Sir, if you remove the social stigma, prejudice and discrimination surrounding Obesity and Obese people in general (they're lazy and fat because they did it to themselves!), objectively, you MUST say, weightloss surgery is the same as treatment for Alcoholism or Coronary Disease- a surgical or medical cure for a DISEASE, which provides immediate relief but must be maintained by the receiver of the surgery or treatment. As a former Obese person, who has enjoyed the numerous benefits of WLS, I can tell you that the surgical treatment of this horrible disease is the ONLY option for many of us. There is NO way an intelligent, educated person could consider obesity surgery to be the easy way to cure a disease, as one must infer from your comments. Please consider the FACTS and honestly try to remove your prejudice towards us 'fat people', when you decide how to vote for this bill. I had Gastric Bypass surgery on 11/18/02 with Dr. Jonathan Aranow at Middlesex Hospital. I was lucky enough that my insurance didn't choose to impose a random exclusion on WLS based on money. I have lost over 170 lbs and maintained that loss. I've actually lost more than I currently weigh. My BMI is normal and I no longer suffer from the other pre-op diseases including High Blood Pressure and GERD. I could NEVER, NEVER have achieved this success without surgery. And, I am no longer a medical or financial burden on my insurance company. I no longer require ANY regular treatment for ANY disease and take NO prescription medication. Again, I ask you to please open your heart and mind before you choose to vote against this bill. This bill will not help me, but it can help countless others like me who suffer from this horrible disease and can't live the healthy, happy, productive life they deserve to have, without the proper medical intervention, appropriate for the disease they suffer from. Sincerely, Lisa Cervantes CT State Resident