Looking for info on Medicare's opinion re:

(from hcfa.gov) Medicare on Obesity: 35-26 TREATMENT OF OBESITY Obesity itself cannot be considered an illness. The immediate cause is a caloric intake which is persistently higher than caloric output. Program payment may not be made for treatment of obesity alone since this treatment is not reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of an illness or injury. However, although obesity is not in itself an illness, it may be caused by illnesses such as hypothyroidism, Cushing's disease, and hypothalamic lesions. In addition, obesity can aggravate a number of cardiac and respiratory diseases as well as diabetes and hypertension. Therefore, services in connection with the treatment of obesity are covered services when such services are an integral and necessary part of a course of treatment for one of these illnesses. Cross refer: CIM 35-33 and 35-40

We greatly appreciate your interest in helping us build our Q&A database. To discourage vandals from posting garbage, however, we require people to register before posting.

You must be logged in to post an answer. Click here to log in.