You have been an immense inspiration and to say that I have shared many of your thoughts, dreams and fears would be an understatement. I am rendered almost, almost mind you , speechless at how helpful I have found you to be. — John T.
What a gift you are! As you talk about your experience, your honesty and gut level feelings make this new lifestyle achievable for me. Thank you so much for your experience, strength and hope. — Tammy D.
You are so honest, true and to the core — I love it. You provide an enlightening reminder that, although food is a big part of our lives — it's not the only part of it. I feel blessed — Terri
Through Thick and Thin #38 (January
19, 2004)
A Dream on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
or 5 Steps To Get Started Creating Universal Insurance Coverage For Weight Loss
Surgery (WLS)
As I move farther away from my Weight Loss Surgery, and continue to celebrate
and enjoy the gifts I’ve realized from it, I’ve become increasingly
troubled about the fate of untold millions of others who are still suffering
and despairing because they don’t have insurance coverage and can’t
afford the procedure on their own. As a veteran of many civil rights and other
advocacy campaigns, I want to share with you my suggestions for how we, as
the WLS Community, can begin the long and challenging process of making Weight
Loss Surgery available to all morbidly obese individuals who need it, regardless
of their resources. Take what you like, and leave the rest, but please: share
this with others to start building the synergy…
1. Organize a broad-based, inclusive national education and advocacy coalition
of organizations and individuals committed to the objective of mandating universal
health insurance coverage of Weight Loss Surgery for morbidly obese individuals.
It would be ideal for a nonprofit organization of, by and for the WLS community
to step forward and lead and staff the coalition. Perhaps this leadership organization
could be AMOS (The Association for Morbid Obesity Support, www.obesityhelp.com),
which already has tens of thousands of members and the online vehicle to organize
and mobilize this initiative. Other appropriate organizational collaborators
might include: Local WLS support groups and WLS
Email groups such as GastricBypass-InfoCentral and the hundreds of
other online websites and email groups;
medical and other health-promoting
associations, such as the American Society for Bariatric
Surgery (ASBS), the American Obesity
Association, the American
Society of Bariatric Physicians, the International Federation for Surgery
for Obesity, and hospitals and bariatric clinics;
advocacy organizations like the Obesity
Law and Advocacy Center and Advocate for WLS, a new grassroots
group of WLS patients
and advocates;
companies that make their living from the
WLS community (vendors of protein powders, nutritional
supplements, surgical equipment, etc.); • Celebrities who
have had the surgery and are committed to this cause, including the many
extraordinary
WLS patients who have written books, created curricula, organized support
groups, and otherwise emerged as leaders within the WLS community;
Researchers who focus upon WLS-related
issues;
Politicians who care about WLS, obesity
and health issues: and
Media: the publishers of WLS Lifestyles
and ObesityHelp magazines, and patients who are also writers
or media-involved.
The coalition (which could benefit from a catchy name such as WLS SOS -- WLSers
Supporting Obesity Surgery) should have a large, credible and diverse Advisory
Board, reflecting the diversity of our WLS community. The Advisory Board might
productively focus its initial efforts in two areas -- building and mobilizing
the coalition and movement, and “making the case” – framing
the coalition’s mission, and assembling the facts and arguments to support
it.
2. Building and mobilizing the movement: coalition-building is a slow and painstaking
process.
It’s probably best organized and done by sector: i.e. bariatric
surgeons recruit other surgeons; bariatric clinics/hospitals solicit colleagues;
and WLS organizations, support groups, email sites, and websites recruit through
their own activities, websites and outreach. The primary leadership organization
might be willing and able to maintain an online database of supporters and
volunteers.
3. Framing the Mission and making the case: Much of the information and data
required to build a powerful and persuasive case for universal coverage already
exists.
(See, e.g. my last newsletter, Seven Rational Reasons To Require Universal
Insurance Coverage of Weight Loss Surgery.) A working committee within
the coalition – including
patients, surgeons, researchers, etc. – can probably do the best and
quickest job of clarifying our mission and assembling our case. Communications,
graphics
and design professionals from within the WLS community and constituent coalition
organizations can create effective advocacy tools and documents.
4. Seek Congressional sponsorship and leadership.
Since Rep. Gerald Nadler (D-NY)
has already had the surgery, he might be the best person for the coalition
to initially contact and consider as the most appropriate
legislative sponsor. This
is an issue that cuts across all partisan and political lines, and it may
be possible to attract many Congressmen and Senators concerned
about health care
issues as co-sponsors of the legislation that will be required to achieve
the coalition’s mission. Legislators will see the political opportunities
presented by sponsoring or supporting legislation that will simultaneously
address our
national epidemic of obesity and offer hope and a second chance at health
to millions of constituents.
5. Assemble resources (foundation grants and individual donors) to support coalition
education and advocacy.
My quick search of foundation grants databases suggests
that there are thousands of foundations that might consider awarding grants
to underwrite the work that must be done. There are probably
many private family
foundations that care about this issue because their family members struggle
with obesity (some may even be WLS patients), and even a handful of these family
foundations could substantially underwrite the work that must be done. The
odds are excellent that there are a significant number of
wealthy individuals who
have had WLS (or whose loved ones have had the surgery) and who may be inclined
to donate to help fund coalition activities. Finally, bariatric surgeons, clinics
and the companies that sell them products, equipment and services constitute
a potentially important source of funds.This will not be an easy process or
campaign, but we have the numbers, the passion, the facts
and equity on our side. Perhaps
upcoming WLS Conventions, ASBS Conferences or other convocations of our WLS
community could provide the supportive setting in which all
of the threads can be woven
together to create and mobilize an effective national movement.
I’d welcome your feedback and suggestions. Most of all, I’d appreciate
your sharing this newsletter (and the last) with others in our community, and
doing whatever you can in your own sphere of influence to make this dream a reality.
As I write to you, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I know in my heart that these
two things are true: that together, we CAN make this happen, and that Dr. King
would have embraced and shared our magnificent dream.
Through Thick
