Earlier in March, the Wall Street Journal reported that many American employers are restricting coverage for anti-obesity medications. CEO of the Alliance for Women’s Health and Prevention Millicent Gorham, a Simmons alumna, honorary doctorate, and Trustee, published a letter of response in the same newspaper. She argues that “we must recognize that obesity is a chronic disease with serious health consequences.”
As Gorham explains, women are especially at risk for obesity: “The consequences of this disease are serious, particularly for women. Obesity is associated with more than 200 other conditions, including many that disproportionately affect women, such as breast cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome and fertility challenges.”