Medicaid and Childhood Obesity

In June 2018, The Institute for Medicaid Innovation (IMI) released the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment (CHOPT) toolkit. The organization wants to improve the lives of those enrolled in the Medicaid program. This toolkit will help health plans start or grow their own obesity prevention programs.

The following can be said about childhood obesity:

  • Childhood obesity is a serious health issue
  • Can lead to increased risk of diabetes and heart disease in adulthood
  • Annual costs of obesity for children and adolescents equal 2.9 billion dollars

The CHOPT toolkit hopes to provide information that can possibly help reverse childhood obesity trends and improve to overall health and quality of life for children and families. For more information on the toolkit, visit the official website CHOPT for Medicaid.