Currently, the efforts of the U.S. Government and involved health care organizations are meeting the healthcare needs of about 1 million children. But as recent articles show, with the new planned coverage, the organizers hope to reach even more children within the first year. These efforts include reimbursing those doctors and registered dietitians that provide continual health care and in-depth nutritional childhood counseling. Parents will receive educational and nutritional information about childhood obesity. The employees of the participating companies will have access to the initiative’s benefits, as well.

Now, the Alliance has set its sights on ensuring that American children maintain proper health, and receive routine visits to both primary care physicians and dietitians. It is the goal of the initiative to offer coverage is to an estimated 6.2 million children (25% of all overweight American children) within three years. In an interview, Clinton stated: “I think we want the children of America to know, No. 1, that we want them to be healthy, we want them to grow up healthy, and we want them to start now.”

The issue of childhood obesity represents a very serious threat to the nation; many parents simply don’t know where to turn, while millions can’t afford healthcare at all. As such, Clinton said he hoped that this new initiative would provide much-needed hope for many parents faced with a problem that was “somewhere between a problem and a nightmare.”

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which was created in 2005 by the AHA and the William J. Clinton Foundation, has since scored some major victories for childhood health. This includes limiting access to sugary sodas at nationwide schools. This new collaboration, which Clinton called “a really big deal,” has attracted some valuable participants. These include leading medical and insurance giants and major conglomerates. Among these are: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dietetic Association, Aetna, WellPoint, Blue Cross, PepsiCo and Owens Corning.

In light of the struggling economy and rising obesity-related healthcare costs – which may cost more than $14 billion annually — AHA president Dr. Tim Gardner feels that this new initiative may have come along at the perfect time. “We’re here today because there is an obesity epidemic in this country,” Gardner said. “One in three teens in this country are overweight or obese. There’s a risk that this generation will be the first in our history to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20090221/hl_hsn/billclintonhealthgroupstotacklechildhoodobesity;_ylt=AgblYUAFs7.QCBCqMYxtAC.ISbYF