The Endocrine Society continues to be a vocal advocate to advance legislation that would address prevention and treatment of obesity.
In late July, legislation known as the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) that the Society endorsed was introduced in the House and the Senate. This important bipartisan legislation would take steps to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to the full range of obesity treatment options. Specifically, TROA would remove restrictions pertaining to Intensive Behavioral Therapy (IBT), which is an effective lifestyle intervention for obesity that includes dietary and nutrition assessment to promote weight loss. Current Medicare rules have placed restrictions in the referral process of IBT which has resulted in underutilization of the benefit.
Legislation known as the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) that the Society endorsed was introduced in the House and the Senate. This important bipartisan legislation would take steps to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to the full range of obesity treatment options.
The legislation would also ensure that Medicare beneficiaries can access FDA-approved anti-obesity medications, which are scientifically proven to be effective at treating obesity. Medicare is currently prohibited from covering anti-obesity medications. The Society worked closely with the sponsors of TROA prior to the bill’s introduction and shared our endorsement of the bill with other congressional offices to gain support. The Society also continues to educate Congress about the issue of obesity. In July, the Society conducted a briefing to educate members of Congress and their staffs about the impact of obesity on children and adolescents in the U.S. We are planning another briefing in the fall to discuss the effectiveness of obesity treatment and care.
We also continue to share our educational resources on obesity including the Obesity Playbook. The Playbook offers a “101” education about obesity and includes information about obesity prevalence, policy options that Congress can implement to treat obesity, existing programs from the Administration and federal agencies that address this epidemic, and a list of Endocrine Society members who are obesity experts. The Playbook and other educational resources on obesity are available on the Society’s website
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