Preventing Childhood Obesity Under Health Care Reform

Marred by litigation and opposition by Republicans, there is a lot of work that needs to be done before health care reform can be a reality. But it's worth it, say panelists who participated in a Sept. 30 First 5 LA discussion "Children's Health: Obesity Prevention Under Health Care Reform."

Among other things, the Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions and placing lifetime limits on benefits. It also emphasizes preventive care, provides dental and vision coverage for children and makes the application process easier.

"The ACA is truly a big change in the way we think about health," said Dr. Paul Simon, the director of the Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. "The ACA is really a paradigm shift," he added. (Simon also discussed the new Community Transformation Grant awarded to the Department of Public Health, which you can read about here.)

Kiran Saluja, deputy director of the Public Health Foundation Enterprises Women, Infant and Children agency in Los Angeles, said 69 percent of the infants born in L.A. County participate in the program that serves low-income women and children with free supplemental foods, nutrition education and breastfeeding support. In evaluating their participants, Saluja said the evidence shows that breastfed babies are less likely to become obese than their formula-fed counterparts.

To that end, Saluja said the ACA has made significant progress to support breastfeeding, including historic new insurance guidelines that will ensure millions of women receive preventive health services without a co-pay or deductible. These new guidelines, developed by the independent Institute of Medicine, require insurance companies to cover specified women's preventive services, including breastfeeding support, supplies and peer counseling.

In addition, the ACA amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 by having employers provide reasonable unpaid break time and a place, other than a restroom, that is private and clean for the employee to express breast milk for her child for one year after the child's birth, she said. The new law could benefit more than a million mothers and children in the next six years, Saluja added.

Two state legislators, Assemblymember Roger Hernández (D-West Covina) and Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes (D-Arleta), who chairs the Assembly Appropriations Committee, both lauded the reforms and lamented the lack of support from across the aisle.

"I really believe that good laws can make a difference in the lives of children," Fuentes said.

Hernández encouraged everyone to learn about the law and advocate for the ACA, as well as friends, neighbors and colleagues. "We can't do it alone," Hernández said. "Policy makers make decisions, but community efforts and collaboration make it happen."