Obesity Initiative
The Liver Coalition supports initiatives that prevent liver cancer—the fastest growing cause of cancer death in the United States—by focusing on both patient support and community wide strategies. These strategies aim to prevent and, when necessary, treat the leading causes of liver cancer, including alcohol associated liver disease, viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease, and rare and pediatric liver diseases.
The California Obesity Initiative works to ensure access to care and treatment for communities most impacted by obesity. Our goal is to reduce the burden of obesity‑related liver disease—and other obesity‑related chronic conditions—by expanding early screening for fatty liver disease and other obesity‑related complications, improving care pathways, and strengthening community‑based prevention efforts. Currently, we are working to restore access to GLP-1s for Medi-Cal patients, who lost access when policymakers reversed coverage at the start of the year.
SIGN THE PETITION
Sacramento needs to hear from you. Help restore GLP-1 coverage. Learn more at www.restoreglp1s.org
Joint letter supporting Assemblymember Ahrens’ Budget Request to Restore Medi-Cal Coverage for Obesity Treatment.
Medi‑Cal’s GLP‑1 Reversal: What You Need to Know
Beginning January 1, 2026, California eliminated Medi‑Cal coverage for GLP‑1 medications used to treat obesity, cutting off access for thousands of low‑income residents. Policymakers suggested patients rely on diet changes, exercise, or counseling instead—an approach that ignores evidence and reinforces stigma rather than supporting effective care.
This reversal undoes progress made in 2023, when Medi‑Cal began covering GLP‑1s because they reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, and heart failure. Many Californians who were successfully using these medications abruptly lost coverage, contradicting the state’s stated commitment to health equity.
Obesity is a chronic disease requiring multidisciplinary treatment. Restoring access to GLP‑1s is essential to reducing preventable illness, improving cardiometabolic health, and protecting lives across California.
Opinion: The high cost of cutting GLP-1s: Why California’s Medi-Cal retreat is a step backward
Opinion: GLP-1 drugs aren’t just cosmetic, Medi-Cal must cover them
Opinion: Women pay the price for Medi-Cal’s reversal on GLP-1 access
Opinion: Cutting Coverage of Diabetes and Weight Loss Meds Hits Black Californians Hardest
Collaborative Partnerships
Our goals are often achieved through collaboration with other groups. Below is a list of organizations where we participate as a member or serve in a leadership role. Each partnership strengthens our ability to advance liver health, obesity care, and patient-centered policy across California and the nation.
The Chronic Obesity Prevention & Education Alliance works to have obesity recognized as a chronic condition and to ensure patients and their healthcare providers have access to the full array of tools needed to improve this disease and reduce its social, emotional, and physical impacts.
The Obesity Action Coalition is dedicated to giving a voice to individuals affected by obesity and supporting them through education, advocacy, and community. OAC works to raise awareness, improve access to prevention and treatment, eliminate weight bias and discrimination, elevate the conversation around weight and health, and provide evidence-based resources.
The Obesity Association focuses on reducing the prevalence of obesity and improving health in at-risk and affected communities. Rooted in evidence and guided by empathy, the organization advocates for social, medical, and legislative progress while expanding access to treatment for all.
CPALs engages, convenes, and connects patient advocacy leaders at the federal, state, and local levels. Through Patient Advocacy Leaders United for Obesity, CPALs works with patients, advocates, and caregivers to prioritize policy ideas, strengthen collaboration, and mobilize partnerships.
National Consumers League & National Council on Aging collaborated with health leaders and obesity specialists to establish a set of rights ensuring that people with obesity are screened, diagnosed, counseled, and effectively treated according to medical guidelines.
Global Fatty Liver Day is an annual public education and awareness campaign led by the Global Liver Institute. Observed on the second Thursday of June, it highlights one of the world’s most urgent yet overlooked health crises: steatotic (fatty) liver disease.
The San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative engages community partners to implement the strategies outlined in the San Diego County Childhood Obesity Action Plan.
AfPA’s Obesity Initiative is a network for clinicians who treat obesity and are committed to shaping policies that support the clinician-patient relationship, limit abusive insurance practices, and acknowledge individual patient needs.
The San Diego Obesity Medicine Society was founded by dedicated obesity medicine specialists committed to improving patient care across the region through evidence-based treatments.
The Obesity Society advances the science-based understanding of the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of obesity.
The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases is the leading organization of scientists and healthcare professionals committed to preventing and curing liver disease.
211 San Diego connects residents to community, health, and disaster resources through a real‑time database of more than 6,000 services. Our Community Connectors help people quickly find the accurate information and support they need.
Educational Resources on Fatty Liver Disease
