Should the obesity pill be reimbursed by the government? † Join the conversation

Suppress Hunger

The obesity pill will become available for Dutch people with a BMI higher than 40. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a means of calculating whether you are a healthy weight in relation to your height. A healthy BMI for adults is on average between 18.5 and 25, according to the Nutrition Center. The obesity pill contains the drug Saxenda, which suppresses the patient’s feeling of hunger, resulting in weight loss. People with a BMI of 35 who face other health risks are also eligible for the medication.

Lifestyle intervention

In addition to a high BMI, you must also apply a lifestyle intervention to be eligible for the obesity pill. In addition to the obesity pill, you should therefore also exercise more. If the obesity pill is not reimbursed in your case, the pill costs € 2600 per year. About 100,000 Dutch people have a BMI higher than 40, or obesity, according to Statistics Netherlands.

reimburse

It is therefore a fact that the obesity pill will be reimbursed, but the question is whether we should want that. Finally, it may also be the case that patients who are overweight are the cause of this. Some are therefore of the opinion that they should also bear the costs themselves.

Cost item

On the other hand, obesity costs the government a lot of money. Overweight is even one of the most expensive costs for Dutch health care, according to Loket Gezondleven of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. The government spends a lot of money on disability, absenteeism and health care. In addition, prevention of overweight in the Netherlands reduces the pressure on healthcare. Loket Gezondleven estimates spending on the consequences of overweight at approximately 500 million euros. Perhaps the obesity pill can reduce this spending.

Furthermore, patients who start using the obesity pill are encouraged to exercise more. In general, of course, that can’t hurt anyone.

Join the conversation

Do you think the obesity pill should be reimbursed by the government? Or do you think that being overweight is the patient’s responsibility? And that they also have to pay for the costs themselves? Join the conversation on our Facebook-page!

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