Table 3.

Five illustrative advocacy successes of the American Medical Association.

Advocacy Initiative	Description	Reference
2022: AMA advocated to finance a comprehensive national program for the study, prevention, and treatment of obesity.	“1. Our AMA will: (a) assume a leadership role in collaborating with other interested organizations, including national medical specialty societies, the American Public Health Association, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and the AMA Alliance, to discuss ways to finance a comprehensive national program for the study, prevention, and treatment of obesity, as well as public health and medical programs that serve vulnerable populations; (b) encourage state medical societies to collaborate with interested state and local organizations to discuss ways to finance a comprehensive program for the study, prevention, and treatment of obesity, as well as public health and medical programs that serve vulnerable populations; and (c) continue to monitor and support state and national policies and regulations that encourage healthy lifestyles and promote obesity prevention. 2. Our AMA, consistent with H-440.842, Recognition of Obesity as a Disease, will work with national specialty and state medical societies to advocate for patient access to and physician payment for the full continuum of evidence-based obesity treatment modalities (such as behavioral, pharmaceutical, psychosocial, nutritional, and surgical interventions). 3. Our AMA will work with interested national medical specialty societies and state medical associations to increase public insurance coverage of and payment for the full spectrum of evidence-based adult and pediatric obesity treatment. 4. Our AMA will: (a) work with state and specialty societies to identify states in which physicians are restricted from providing the current standard of care with regards to obesity treatment; and (b) work with interested state medical societies and other stakeholders to remove out-of-date restrictions at the state and federal level prohibiting healthcare providers from providing the current standard of care to patients affected by obesity. 5. Our AMA will leverage existing channels within AMA that could advance the following priorities: · Promotion of awareness amongst practicing physicians and trainees that obesity is a treatable chronic disease along with evidence-based treatment options. · Advocacy efforts at the state and federal level to impact the disease obesity. · Health disparities, stigma and bias affecting people with obesity. · Lack of insurance coverage for evidence-based treatments including intensive lifestyle intervention, anti-obesity pharmacotherapy and bariatric and metabolic surgery. · Increasing obesity rates in children, adolescents and adults. · Drivers of obesity including lack of healthful food choices, over-exposure to obesogenic foods and food marketing practices. 6. Our AMA will conduct a landscape assessment that includes national level obesity prevention and treatment initiatives, and medical education at all levels of training to identify gaps and opportunities where AMA could demonstrate increased impact. 7. Our AMA will convene an expert advisory panel once, and again if needed, to counsel AMA on how best to leverage its voice, influence, and current resources to address the priorities listed in item 5. above.”	American Medical Association. Addressing Adult and Pediatric Obesity D-440.954. Interim Meeting; 2022. Modified: Sub. Res. 111, A-14; Modified: Res. 818, I-22; Reaffirmed: A-13; Appended: Res. 201, A-18; BOT Action in response to referred for decision: Res. 415, A-22. https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder/detail/Addressing/20Obesity/20D-440.954?uri=/2FAMADoc/2Fdirectives.xml-0-1498.xmlhttps://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder
2018: AMA advocated to identify states that restricted obesity treatments	1. “Our American Medical Association will urge individual state delegations to directly advocate for their state insurance agencies and insurance providers in their jurisdiction to: a. Revise their policies to ensure that bariatric surgery is covered for patients who meet the appropriate medical criteria. b. Eliminate criteria that place unnecessary time-based mandates that are not clinically supported nor directed by the patient's medical provider. c. Ensure that insurance policies in their states do not discriminate against potential metabolic surgery patients based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status. d. Advocate for the cost-effectiveness of all obesity treatment modalities in reducing healthcare costs and improving patient outcomes. 2.Our AMA will support and provide resources to state delegations in their efforts to advocate for the reduction of bias against patients that suffer from obesity for the actions listed.”	American Medical Association House of Delegates. Resolution: 224 (A-23). Advocacy Against Obesity-Related Bias by Insurance Providers. Introduced by: American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. Referred to: Reference Committee B; 2023. =https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder/detail//22scope/20of/20practice/22?uri=/2FAMADoc/2FHOD.xml-H-440.801.xmlhttps://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder
2017: AMA advocated for use of person-first language	“Our AMA: (1) encourages the use of person-first language (patients with obesity, patients affected by obesity) in all discussions, resolutions and reports regarding obesity; (2) encourages the use of preferred terms in discussions, resolutions and reports regarding patients affected by obesity including weight and unhealthy weight, and discourage the use of stigmatizing terms including obese, morbidly obese, and fat; and (3) will educate health care providers on the importance of person-first language for treating patients with obesity; equipping their health care facilities with proper sized furniture, medical equipment and gowns for patients with obesity; and having patients weighed respectfully.”	American Medical Association. Person-First Language for Obesity H-440.821. Annual Meeting; 2017. Modified: Speakers Rep., I-17. https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder/detail/Person-First/20Language/20for/20Obesity/20H-440.821?uri=/2FAMADoc/2FHOD.xml-H-440.821.xml
2014 (last year modified 2022): AMA advocated for patient access to and physician payment for the full continuum of evidence-based obesity treatment modalities	“1. Our AMA will: (a) assume a leadership role in collaborating with other interested organizations, including national medical specialty societies, the American Public Health Association, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and the AMA Alliance, to discuss ways to finance a comprehensive national program for the study, prevention, and treatment of obesity, as well as public health and medical programs that serve vulnerable populations; (b) encourage state medical societies to collaborate with interested state and local organizations to discuss ways to finance a comprehensive program for the study, prevention, and treatment of obesity, as well as public health and medical programs that serve vulnerable populations; and (c) continue to monitor and support state and national policies and regulations that encourage healthy lifestyles and promote obesity prevention. 2. Our AMA, consistent with H-440.842, Recognition of Obesity as a Disease, will work with national specialty and state medical societies to advocate for patient access to and physician payment for the full continuum of evidence-based obesity treatment modalities (such as behavioral, pharmaceutical, psychosocial, nutritional, and surgical interventions). 3. Our AMA will work with interested national medical specialty societies and state medical associations to increase public insurance coverage of and payment for the full spectrum of evidence-based adult and pediatric obesity treatment. 4. Our AMA will: (a) work with state and specialty societies to identify states in which physicians are restricted from providing the current standard of care with regards to obesity treatment; and (b) work with interested state medical societies and other stakeholders to remove out-of-date restrictions at the state and federal level prohibiting healthcare providers from providing the current standard of care to patients affected by obesity. 5. Our AMA will leverage existing channels within AMA that could advance the following priorities: · Promotion of awareness amongst practicing physicians and trainees that obesity is a treatable chronic disease along with evidence-based treatment options. · Advocacy efforts at the state and federal level to impact the disease obesity. · Health disparities, stigma and bias affecting people with obesity. · Lack of insurance coverage for evidence-based treatments including intensive lifestyle intervention, anti-obesity pharmacotherapy and bariatric and metabolic surgery. · Increasing obesity rates in children, adolescents, and adults. · Drivers of obesity including lack of healthful food choices, over-exposure to obesogenic foods and food marketing practices. 6. Our AMA will conduct a landscape assessment that includes national level obesity prevention and treatment initiatives, and medical education at all levels of training to identify gaps and opportunities where AMA could demonstrate increased impact. 7. Our AMA will convene an expert advisory panel once, and again if needed, to counsel AMA on how best to leverage its voice, influence, and current resources to address the priorities listed in item 5. above.”	American Medical Association House of Delegates Resolution: 224 (A-23). https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/a23-224.pdf https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder/detail/obesity?uri=%2FAMADoc%2Fdirectives.xml-0-1498.xmlhttps://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder
2013 (modified 2023): AMA advocated the recognition of obesity as a disease	“Our American Medical Association recognizes obesity as a disease state with multiple pathophysiological aspects requiring a range of interventions to advance obesity treatment and prevention.”	Recognition of Obesity as a Disease H-440.842. https://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder/detail/H-440.842?uri=%2FAMADoc%2FHOD.xml-0-3858.xmlhttps://policysearch.ama-assn.org/policyfinder