This bill would change parts of Medicare to support preventing and treating obesity for adults. It would let more kinds of health care providers and approved community programs give intensive behavioral therapy for obesity, as long as they work with a referring physician or primary care practitioner and use approved settings. It would also change Medicare Part D rules so that certain drugs used to treat obesity or for weight-loss management for people who are overweight with related health problems can be covered by Part D plans. The bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report to Congress within one year and then every two years on steps taken and recommendations for better coordination of relevant programs.
No publicly available information on budgetary or cost estimates is included in the bill text. The bill text does include findings that cite past costs: it states Medicare spending on individuals with obesity rose to $50,000,000,000 in 2014, and that the direct and indirect cost of obesity was more than $427,800,000,000 in 2014.
The bill’s findings say obesity is common, increases risk for many chronic conditions, and has large health and financial effects. Proponents seek to expand who can provide intensive behavioral therapy, approve community-based lifestyle programs, allow Part D coverage of obesity medications for eligible people, and improve coordination across programs. The required HHS reports are intended to describe steps taken and recommend better coordination of programs and research related to treating and preventing obesity.
No publicly available information on opposition arguments or concerns is included in the bill text or provided metadata.