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A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggests that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should expedite efforts to provide coverage guidance for obesity-related services for adult and child Medicaid beneficiaries, AHA News Now reports. Acknowledging the critical role that CMS can play in the provision of services that can help prevent, diagnose and manage health conditions, the GAO report examined data collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to determine how frequently Medicaid beneficiaries are diagnosed with certain conditions, in particular obesity, and receive preventive services. The researchers also surveyed state Medicaid directors and interviewed federal officials. According to the data, a large proportion of Medicaid beneficiaries are living with certain health conditions, including obesity, that could have been identified or managed through the administration of preventive services. Specifically, the NHANES survey revealed that 18 percent of children between age 2 and age 20 are obese, 4 percent of children between age 8 and age 20 have high blood pressure, and 10 percent of children between age 6 and age 20 have high cholesterol. Meanwhile, MEPS data suggests that, among Medicaid adults between age 21 and age 64, more than one-half were obese or had diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Furthermore, the MEPS data reveals that receipt of preventive services varied widely depending on the service, but that approximately one-third of all states cover intensive counseling to address obesity and high cholesterol. In addition, most states reported that they monitored or set goals for children's use of preventive services, and 47 states reported that they had launched initiatives to promote their provision. However, only nine states reported that they monitored the provision of specific services. The researchers note that a 2006 study raised concerns that providers may be unaware of the coverage of obesity-related services for Medicaid beneficiaries. CMS has yet to begin drafting guidance to address such concerns for children's health coverage, but has provided some related guidance to states regarding coverage for adults. Based on the data, the GAO has issued recommendations calling for the CMS administrator to review existing programs and identify gaps in the provision of preventive services for children. Meanwhile, to improve the provision of preventive services, the GAO recommends that the CMS administrator expedite current efforts to provide policy guidance on the coverage of obesity-related services for child Medicaid beneficiaries and consider the need to provide similar guidance regarding coverage of obesity counseling and other recommended preventive services for adult Medicaid beneficiaries (AHA News Now, 9/14/09; GAO report, 8/14/09).