by #JackieFlynnMogensen in #MotherJones:

"If these new treatments are the best option for kids, why are they so difficult to obtain? Intensive behavioral counseling, for instance, typically takes place at an academic medical center. It often involves weekly sessions on exercise, nutrition education, support group sessions for parents, and conversations with kids about things like self-esteem and bullying. But according to AAP and the US Department of Health and Human Services, the most effective of these programs— which have been shown to help kids lose between 3.5 and 18 pounds—are rare in the United States. In fact, Dr. Thomas Robinson, a professor of pediatrics and of medicine at Stanford University who leads a behavior change program for families, estimates there are fewer than one to two dozen lifestyle programs like his across the country, and almost all aren’t covered by public or private insurance. 'How could the American Academy of Pediatrics say an aggressive family-based comprehensive program is standard of care, this should be the first line of intervention, but yet, wait a minute. Oh, it’s not covered by insurance?' says Savoye, who runs a similar program at Yale called Bright Bodies. A November 2022 study by AAP found that most teen bariatric surgeries are paid for by private insurance rather than Medicaid. Only a handful of state Medicaid programs cover weight-loss medication, which can cost up to $1,600 a month. It’s even more difficult to get it covered by private insurance."

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/04/should-insurers-cover-kids-obesity-drugs-experts-say-its-long-overdue/

#obesity #insurance #nutrition #education #healthcare #AAP

#JaneWillenbring as told to #JackieFlynnMogensen in #MotherJones:

"I had wanted to do my PhD in Antarctica because it was so incredibly important. But after getting back, I thought, “Even if I’m in a different department, I just don’t even want to see him on base. I don’t want him reviewing my grant proposals and my papers, I just want to move away from that entire community.” And so I applied to do my PhD at a different university where I could work in the Arctic and sub-Arctic."

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2023/06/jane-willenbring-after-metoo-science-geologist/

#MeToo #misogyny #SexualHarassment #geology #Antarctica #IceSheet #BostonUniversity #ScienceMagazine #NationalScienceFoundation