Revised Version of TROA Passes House Ways & Means Committee

On June 27, 2024, the House Ways and Means Committee passed a revised version of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA), legislation that would allow Medicare coverage of anti-obesity medications (AOMs), which currently is prohibited under law.

The version that passed would only allow Medicare beneficiaries to receive coverage of AOMs if they were previously receiving AOM coverage on a non-Medicare plan in the year before enrolling onto Medicare. During the mark-up, key concerns were expressed by members of the committee about the new version of TROA and the impact it could have on health equity, while other members expressed optimism that these concerns could be addressed as this bill moves through the legislative process.

Some committee members also expressed concern about the rising price of anti-obesity medications citing the low cost of these medications in other countries. The Society is concerned about changes that were made to the legislation because it would limit the number of beneficiaries who would be eligible for coverage. Less than 4,000 beneficiaries per year would be eligible for coverage under the new bill, which would leave behind many people who need access to these medications. This is a drastic change to the original TROA legislation which would have provided broad Medicare coverage of AOMs for beneficiaries with obesity.  Consequently, the Society has not endorsed this revised version of the legislation but is working with congressional offices to broaden eligibility.  

Prior to committee consideration of the legislation, the Endocrine Society released a podcast interview with Congressman Raul Ruiz (D-CA, right), who is one of the sponsors of TROA. During our podcast, Ruiz talked about his background, his experience in treating obesity and its comorbidities, and the legislative action for TROA. Rep. Ruiz also talked about the importance of contacting congressional representatives and urging them to address the obesity epidemic. You can listen to the podcast on the Endocrine News podcast page on our website.

Federal Research Funding in Jeopardy and Congress Proposes Massive Restructuring of the NIH 

In July, the House Appropriations Committee advanced several funding bills, including the Labor- Health and Human Services (L-HHS) appropriations bill, which governs funding for public health agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The House bill is detrimental to endocrinology. It slashes funding for the Department of Health and Human Services and includes policy riders that would eliminate Title X funding, restrict access to women’s reproductive healthcare, and restrict access to gender-affirming care. Appropriators also included language proposing to restructure NIH by consolidating the current 27 Institutes and Centers to 15, adopted from a proposal from Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. However, the proposal is not clear on how research portfolios would be organized in the new structure.   

We will continue to engage with the House and Senate to advocate for our priorities, including the report language in a final bill that adequately preserves and protects public health.

  Recognizing the need for a more thoughtful approach to NIH reform, the Endocrine Society led a sign-on letter with 223 organizational signatures to the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee to oppose the restructuring in this bill and call for a bipartisan, bicameral process and include input from key stakeholders. Despite attempts by some lawmakers to oppose cuts to funding and programs that would benefit human health and question the radical restructuring of NIH among other things, the bill advanced out of committee and was scheduled to be considered by the full House on July 29.  

 The U.S. Senate is expected to take up its version of the bill in early August, but the Senate had not released a detailed bill with funding levels for the NIH. We expect the Senate proposal will be significantly more generous than the House, approaching the “caps” set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), with the potential for additional emergency supplemental funds.   

  Protecting the NIH and funding for public health and biomedical research is a top priority for the Endocrine Society. We will continue to engage with the House and Senate to advocate for our priorities, including the report language in a final bill that adequately preserves and protects public health. We will also provide detailed comments to Rodgers on the proposal to restructure the NIH. We sincerely thank our members who acted to ensure Congressional awareness of our research priorities. In the coming months, Endocrine Society members and Government and Public Affairs staff will visit Capitol Hill, virtually and in person through our participation in the Rally for Medical Research, to reinforce the importance of endocrine research and why NIH funding should be protected. Our advocacy efforts will also involve sharing members’ perspectives and priorities on NIH reform.  

TAKE ACTION:  It is critical that all representatives and senators hear from the research community about this legislation. Please visit: endocrine.org/advocacy/take-action to join our on-line campaign urging Congress to protect NIH funding. This will take one minute of your time, but it will have impact. 

  Stay tuned for updates on funding and NIH reform as the process continues. Visit the Society’s website to learn how you can make your voice heard and help protect endocrine research and public health.