One state makes Weight Watchers a Medicaid benefit

West Virginia, one of the country's most obese states, has now incorporated Weight Watchers into its Medicaid program. As many as 75,000 people will be eligible to participate in the Weight Watchers program for free. Patients will need to have a doctor's referral and a BMI within a specific range, and then they'll get classes for 16 weeks complete with the supportive group sessions and food point planning.

Top supporters of this new approach have high hopes, for both their state's overall health and that of the nation. If successful in W.Va. the program will likely be tried in other states as well.