It’s often been said that if exercise were a pill, it’d be a mega-blockbuster, given the positive health effects — from lower cholesterol to improved cognition to longer lifetimes — to which it’s been tied.An editorial just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says research supports consideration of a wider policy of reimbursing for structured exercise programs, particularly in high-risk groups, such as diabetics. Currently, health-insurance plans don’t treat exercise as medicine; only some plans offer a fitness benefit, usually a partial reimbursement for gym membership.Marco Pahor, author of the editorial and a University of Florida professor and chair of the school’s department of aging and geriatric research, isn’t saying that every commercial insurer should suddenly start paying for everyone’s Saturday-afternoon Zumba class.
But he points to a review of published data published in the same issue of JAMA that found aerobic exercise, strength training or both can help control blood-sugar levels in diabetics. And, he notes that “cost analyses have shown that use of a health plan–sponsored health club benefit by the general older population and by older adults with diabetes was associated with slower increases in total health care costs over 2 years.” Older adults going to a health club two or more times a week incurred $1,252 less in health-care costs in the second year than those who went less than once a week, he writes.
“The type of supported program and the target population eligible ought to be carefully assessed,” he writes. For example, it may be more cost-effective to pay for exercise programs for people with existing diabetes, not as a preventive measure. More data on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a structured exercise program on different health conditions and outcomes need to be analyzed, he says.
That said, there is “solid evidence for public policy makers to consider structured exercise and physical activity programs as worthy of insurance reimbursement to promote health, especially in high-risk populations,” he writes.
What do you think, readers? Should Medicare or private insurers reimburse for exercise programs just like they do for statins or antidepressants
By Katherine Hobson