FAIR Health Consumer Access

A Healthy Start to the New Year

The new year is a good time to think about setting goals and getting healthy. Insurance can help you do that by covering various ways to help you be healthy. These can include maintaining a healthy weight, exercise, healthy eating and a medication review.

Coverage for Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Most health plans cover weight screening. When you go and see your doctor, he or she will sometimes measure your height and weight. This can be used to find out if your weight is considered healthy for an adult, or if your weight is considered overweight, obese or underweight.

Most plans will also cover nutritional counseling by a registered dietitian or nutritionist. They can help you learn how to plan healthy meals to get to a healthy weight. Some plans may cover weight loss drugs or weight loss surgery too, if deemed medically necessary by your doctor. Check your plan’s benefits to find out what’s covered.

Coverage for Exercise and Healthy Eating
Some plans cover, or offer rewards for, gym membership or gym equipment. They might also provide health trackers and articles relevant to keeping the whole family healthy. Find out more about what kinds of coverage are available in our article: Coverage for Healthy Families.

You can also get coverage to help buy healthy foods or get access to healthy eating resources. Check out our article for more information: How Insurance Can Support Healthy Eating.

Coverage for a Medication Review
The new year is a good time to review any medicines you’re taking. Check with your plan to be sure, but most health plans will cover a medication review. Sometimes you might need to change the dose of your medication. Or the over-the-counter drug you want to try might interact with another prescription you’re taking. Either way, an annual medication review could help make sure you’re taking the right medicine in the right way. Your doctor or pharmacist will go over all the medication you’re taking, including any over-the-counter supplements, vitamins and other medicines.

Medicare and Medicaid Coverage for a Healthy New Year
Medicare covers some weight management services. It also covers a medication review, sometimes called medication therapy management. This is for people who take multiple drugs for chronic conditions. If you’re eligible, the program is offered at no cost. Find out more from the National Council on Aging.

Medicaid coverage will vary depending on which state you live in. But Medicaid does provide access to healthcare services to support a healthy weight. Find out what your program covers by visiting your state’s Medicaid agency here.