Towards the latter half of my elementary school years, around 7 or 8 years old, I saw something worrying and confusing for any young child. My father suddenly began to have frequent visits to the hospital. Visible pain expressed through grimacing and now a multitude of days off from work. After multiple visits to multiple physicians it was found he had a severe gastric ulcer. A large ulcer that needed surgery. For a week it was my mother taking care of us three kids, all worried about the outcome of both the surgery and my father’s health. The anxiety and stress took a toll on my mother who did not know she was going to have a fully healthy and active husband once more. Thankfully, it was a successful surgery, and a month or so later he was able to get back to his normal routine. But for the decade or so after my dad continued to struggle with what initially had increased his risk of getting normal diseases, chronic ones such as the possibility of getting diabetes, and lastly him eventually getting the large gastric ulcer. My dad had suffered from what is now officially known as an illness: obesity. He was not obese his whole life, especially his earlier life with a personal medical history that was perfect. But post-surgery he gained even more weight until the pandemic COVID-19 arrived. After the pandemic, when I had reached college and relied less on my parents’ time, I urged him to go to a nutritionist to change his diet and encouraged him to become more physically active in the limited time before and after work. These changes were good, and he lost around 20-30 pounds in the next few years. However, he is still struggling to lose weight, and his progress has drastically slowed down. I would like to address the medication he could have used post-surgery to combat his obesity if not eventually lose it, with his newfound healthy routine: GLP-1 drugs. Joseph Falcao Over time GLP-1 drugs have transitioned from primarily being used to treat type 2 diabetes to now being used to treat obesity. Currently, over 100 million American adults, including my father, are being diagnosed with obesity and they could use GLP-1 drugs to help with weight loss. However, the main barrier to accessing these drugs is the price, especially considering that the majority of the population here in America are middle class working people. On average today even with insurance GLP-1s can cost a patient up to over $1,000 a month. In the city of Danbury, CT, the average median household income lies around $74,000. While for my father it is already extremely expensive for him to even incorporate GLP-1s into his life, I cannot imagine how taxing it is for a person or family trying to afford this with rent or a mortgage, taxes, monthly bills in this economy. So, therefore, how can we make it more affordable? The possible avenues to affordable GLP-1 drugs will come through advocacy; for patient assistance programs for financially struggling patients, and incorporating it into more health insurance plans. Advocacy in terms of social media through means of TikTok and Instagram. Going to the state capitol to pressure mandates for health insurance policy changes to make these drugs affordable. Implementing more patient assistant programs to help give more benefits and financial assistance for those who qualify under certain economic metrics for more aid. And lastly, allowing more direct pharmacy options that are more inexpensive for all patients looking to use GLP-1 drugs along with other treatment methods and plans. Because just like my father, everyone deserves a second chance to control their life.                    Joseph Falcao is a recent graduate of Sacred Heart University with a bachelor’s degree in Health Science.                                                                                            ...read more read less