The Endocrine Society today endorsed the introduction of the bipartisan Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) in the Senate.
The legislation will ensure that Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries have access to effective anti-obesity medications. Medicare coverage of anti-obesity medications is currently prohibited under law.
Access to these medications would benefit millions of Americans. More than two in five adults nationwide are living with obesity, according to the Society's Obesity Playbook. Obesity-related medical care costs total $173 billion a year in the United States.
A new generation of effective anti-obesity medications called GLP-1s have given clinicians new tools to help people with this chronic disease. Our physician members have noted that clinicians often wait too long to prescribe anti-obesity medications due to insurance coverage issues.
When patients are forced to delay treatment, it puts them at risk of developing other chronic diseases and medical conditions. People living with obesity are at increased risk of developing over 230 complications, including cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver diseases and kidney diseases.
The bill also would expand Medicare coverage of Intensive Behavioral Therapy, which is an effective lifestyle intervention for obesity that includes dietary and nutrition assessment. Intensive Behavioral Therapy is recommended by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force.
We applaud Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Senator Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) for their leadership in addressing the obesity epidemic.
We urge Congress to pass this bipartisan legislation, which will ensure that people living with obesity have access to the treatments they need to treat their disease.
Early childhood weight patterns linked to future obesity risk