The Honorable Carine Werner

Arizona Senate Health and Human Services Committee

1700 W. Washington Street

Phoenix, AZ 85007

Dear Chairman Werner and Members of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee,

I write to you in support of SB 1711—a bill to create an obesity treatment committee to study the cost, effectiveness, and value of extending coverage under your state’s Medicaid program for people living with obesity.

National Taxpayers Union (NTU) is the oldest taxpayer advocacy organization in the country and we have engaged state and federal lawmakers on important questions surrounding the fiscal impact of legislation and regulations on the healthcare space. 

Estimates published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2019 projected that 51.4% of Arizonans would reach an obese condition in 2023. This dangerous and costly trajectory can and should be addressed by all who are concerned with the public health of your citizens. Given this, you are to be commended for considering the creation of a committee to look into the problem of obesity and the comorbid chronic illnesses that are seen in the obese population.

With that in mind, I urge you to support a study committee that will consider the gamut of solutions to the obesity crisis, including regulatory reforms and other fiscally-responsible policies to encourage a healthy food supply, increasing nutritional awareness, and both non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions.

Specifically, I would like to discuss pharmaceutical innovations and the impact they could have on the citizens of your great state. Earlier this year, NTU submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on innovative approaches to reduce health care costs. I have attached a copy of our comments which advocate for the thoughtful deployment of prescription drugs in more settings, specifically the use of anti-obesity medications (AOMs). In our comments, you will see clear evidence of the prospect of the longer-term economic and fiscal benefits that can occur when people are improving their overall health through the use of AOMs.

As you consider possible solutions to this crisis in this bill and others, I urge you to give thoughtful deliberation to how pharmaceutical innovation can both improve patient outcomes and control taxpayer expenditures in government health plan offerings. If judiciously introduced with an eye toward minimizing administrative burdens and managing government’s near-term phase-in costs, these medications can offer the promise of greater public and economic health for your state over the long run. As part of a phase-in, you could set limits on a yearly basis for the total amount the state will reimburse, or you could begin with a pilot program limited to the most obese and at-risk patients. Then, as market competition starts to drive down the prices of these drugs, you could always widen their availability as the benefits of reduced comorbidities are realized.

I understand the significant challenges you face as you balance the goal of sound public health policy while being accountable to taxpayers. Passage of SB 1711 is an important first step to gather the information needed to make the right decisions for all Arizonans.

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please reach out with any further questions.

Respectfully submitted,

Leah Vukmir

Senior Vice President of State Affairs

National Taxpayers Union