The 2017 Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) Surpasses 110 Co-Sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2017 Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) (S830) (HR1953) has surpassed 110 co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives with a total of 111 legislators supporting the Act. This critical legislation will provide Medicare beneficiaries with additional treatment tools to help seniors address their obesity. The bill provides CMS with the authority to expand the Medicare benefit for intensive behavioral counseling by allowing additional types of qualified healthcare providers to offer these services. The Act also allows the agency to expand Medicare Part D to provide coverage of FDA-approved prescription drugs for chronic weight management.

"Obesity accounts for nearly 7 percent of all annual medical spending in the United States. Unless we do something to address the obesity epidemic, the costs and harm to public health will only continue to rise. I am glad that over 100 of my colleagues have joined me in recognizing the problem and hopefully by passing the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act we can fix it," said Rep. Kind.

The TROA was introduced in the 115^th Congress by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Tom Carper (D-DE) and Representatives Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Ron Kind (D-WI). It was first introduced in 2013 during the 113^th Congress and reintroduced in 2015 during the 114^th and received strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, with more than 175 co-sponsors.

"We continue to see great momentum with the 2017 Treat and Reduce Obesity Act. More than 90 million adult Americans are dealing with the disease of obesity. Legislation such as TROA is vitally important for the Medicare population, as it will provide healthcare professionals and patients with science-based treatments to address obesity," said Joe Nadglowski, Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) President and CEO.

The OAC encourages all members of the public to advocate for the passage of the 2017 TROA by contacting your legislators. To learn more about the 2017 TROA and contact your elected officials today, please visit www.obesityaction.org/advocacy/legislative-action-center.

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), a more than 58,000 member-strong National non-profit organization, is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals affected by the disease of obesity through education, advocacy and support.

SOURCE Obesity Action Coalition