In a world saturated with weight loss solutions, ranging from fad diets to over-the-counter pills, finding a sustainable and medically sound approach can be challenging. K Health's Medical Weight Management Program emerges as a comprehensive option, offering a blend of medical supervision, lifestyle guidance, and prescription medications when appropriate. This article delves into the specifics of the K Health program, exploring its components, eligibility criteria, costs, and potential benefits.
Understanding the K Health Approach to Weight Loss
K Health's Medical Weight Management Program distinguishes itself by providing a holistic approach to weight loss, integrating medical expertise with personalized care. With K Health’s Medical Weight Management Program, you’ll work with a primary care physician to take care of your health holistically. The program recognizes that obesity is often just one part of someone’s story. K Health’s app-based Primary Care offering connects people to clinicians who can remotely support a variety of Primary Care needs beyond just chronic condition management, prevention, and treatment. This includes lab orders, prescriptions, unlimited 24/7 Urgent Care visits, referrals and more.
The program is designed to deliver lasting results free of the pitfalls of fad diets. K Health offers prescription weight loss to those who have been unsuccessful in achieving and maintaining healthy body weight with diet and exercise alone. The program combines prescription medications with nutrition guidance and lifestyle modifications through telemedicine visits with licensed medical professionals.
Key Components of the Program
The K Health Medical Weight Management Program includes several key components:
- Medical Supervision: A team of physicians and educators provides medical supervision. Your team of Kaiser Permanente medical and weight loss professionals will be available to monitor your health and progress. This includes periodic checkups and lab tests.
- Personalized Care Plan: Together with their patients, clinicians create a personalized Care Plan to help test for and manage chronic conditions, track weight and vitals, manage medication and refills, make lifestyle changes, and more.
- Medication Management: Primary Care clinicians practicing on the K Health platform are able to prescribe FDA-approved GLP-1 receptor agonists for medical weight loss, including Wegovy® (semaglutide) and Saxenda® (liraglutide).
- Nutrition Guidance: Get personalized nutrition advice grounded in practical, realistic principles that fit your lifestyle. Dieticians can provide guidance and support to help you establish healthier eating patterns.
- Lifestyle Modification Advice: In addition to providing effective prescription medications, medical professionals may also offer lifestyle modification advice, and exercise plan recommendations.
Eligibility for the K Health Weight Loss Program
Many adults with health conditions associated with their weight are eligible for weight loss medication. To be eligible for prescription weight loss medication from clinicians practicing on the K Health platform, clinicians conduct a strict screening process, which includes ensuring a certain Body-Mass Index (BMI), the absence of certain medical conditions, and a history of unsuccessful weight loss with lifestyle modifications alone. If you don’t have a health condition associated with your weight, you must have a BMI of at least 30.
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Diagnostic tests, including a physical exam, medical history review, and laboratory tests, can help your doctor determine your best treatment plan.
The Role of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists
K Health-affiliated clinicians may prescribe FDA-approved GLP-1 receptor agonists for medical weight loss. Each of the FDA-approved GLP-1 receptor agonist medications work in a slightly different way to support weight loss. It is important to note that these medications are not a replacement for exercise and a healthy diet.
These medications are part of a drug class known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists. They work by affecting insulin production, slowing digestion, and reducing appetite.
Cost and Insurance Coverage
Your K Health membership costs $49 for the first month* and is then billed in advance 3 months at a time (so you pay $147 every 3 months). Or, you can save $139 with a yearly plan and pay $449 for an annual membership. This membership does not include the cost of your medication or labs. If you are prescribed GLP-1 medication and your insurance agrees to cover it, it can cost as little as $20/month.
What that means for you is that in many cases, your insurance will not cover the costs of GLP-1 medication unless you show that other methods of weight management haven’t worked for you. Your clinician and care team will work with you and your insurance provider to find the right care plan for you. If that’s the case, your clinician can provide an alternate treatment as a first step and revisit your insurance authorization in a few months. Your clinician will never encourage you to take a medication that will not be affordable for you long-term by using a limited-time discount or similar method. Amber’s health insurance likely wouldn’t pay for a GLP-1 medication until she proved she had tried to manage her weight without it.
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Potential Benefits and Expected Outcomes
Research shows that losing 5-10% of your body weight can improve your overall health and metabolic factors. The average weight loss is 34.2 pounds at week 17. Average weight loss in the Medical Weight Management Program is 46.6 pounds.
Losing 5-10% of your starting body weight can help improve your overall health by lowering your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, joint strain, and sleep apnea. When combined with diet, exercise, and other lifestyle modifications (like stress management and sleep hygiene), most weight loss will take place within the first six months of starting medication.
Important Considerations and Potential Side Effects
The most common side effects of GLP-1 weight loss medications are upset stomach, nausea, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, headache and fatigue. Typically, these symptoms are most severe in the first few weeks of taking medication and become milder or go away completely over time. More serious side effects include thyroid tumors, including cancer, pancreatitis, gallbladder and kidney problems, and changes in mood.
It’s important to speak with your healthcare provider about the benefits and risks of your medication options.
The Broader Context of Weight Loss Medications
Currently, ten medications are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight loss. Six of these medications are approved for long-term use. FDA-approved weight loss drugs are indicated for use in individuals with obesity. In most cases, the BMI threshold for these drugs is 30 or higher. Certain drugs can also be used in individuals with a BMI of 27 or higher if they also have a certain health condition, like type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.
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FDA-Approved Weight Loss Medications
Drugs that have gained approval from the FDA as weight loss medications have undergone trials demonstrating their efficacy in helping people to lose weight.
- Naltrexone-bupropion (Contrave): A mix of two medications. The first, naltrexone, is an opioid receptor antagonist used to treat alcohol and drug dependence. The second, bupropion, is a dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor used to treat depression and help people quit smoking.
- Liraglutide: Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1s receptor agonist (GLP-1) medication.
- Orlistat (Xenical, Alli): Orlistat (sold under the brand names Xenical and Alli) is a weight loss pill intended to be used alongside a low-calorie, low-fat diet and exercise program. It’s a type of medication called lipase inhibitor, which works by reducing the amount of fat your body absorbs from the food you consume.
- Phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia): Phentermine-topiramate, sold under the brand name Qsymia, is a combination of two medications: phentermine and topiramate.
- Semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic): Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1s receptor agonist (GLP-1) medication. It was first approved in 2017 under the brand name, Ozempic as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. But in 2021, a higher dose of semaglutide marketed under the name Wegovy was approved by the FDA for weight loss. It was the first new weight loss medication to gain approval by the FDA in several years.
Short-Term Weight Loss Medications
There are several weight loss medications approved by the FDA for short-term use. These include phentermine, benzphetamine, diethylpropion, and phendimetrazine. Because these drugs are stimulants, they can cause harmful and sometimes life-threatening side effects. They can also be habit-forming, which is why they’re only intended for short-term use.
Alternatives to the K Health Program
While K Health offers a comprehensive approach, several alternatives exist for individuals seeking weight loss solutions:
- Talkiatry for Psychiatric Care: Addresses mental health aspects related to weight management.
- Doctor on Demand for Same-day Appointments: Provides quick access to medical professionals for consultations.
- Jimini for AI-assisted Therapy: Offers AI-driven support for behavioral changes.
Lifestyle Modifications and Their Importance
Not all people with obesity follow the same eating patterns. Still, making dietary modifications can help people with obesity improve their health. Different dietary strategies-including low-carb, low-fat, or Mediterranean diets-can benefit weight loss and long-term health.
Getting regular exercise promotes physical health and mental well-being-regardless of weight. Your medical provider may also recommend strength training weekly to help you reach your weight loss goals.
Behavioral therapy uses approaches founded in psychotherapy to help heal an individual’s relationship with food and eating. Research shows that eating disorders contribute to around 50% of severe obesity cases.
Addressing Common Questions About Weight Loss
- How can an obese person lose weight? Following a healthy diet and getting regular physical activity are key for weight loss. Depending on your individual case, medication or weight-loss devices may be recommended.
- What BMI is considered obese? A body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater is considered obese.
- How can you prevent obesity? Following a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise, and getting regular sleep.