OCAN Applauds Senators Cassidy and Luján for reintroducing the bipartisan Treat and Reduce Obesity Act
WASHINGTON, DC – The Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) commends Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) for reintroducing the bipartisan Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) in the Senate. This crucial legislation aims to significantly improve access to comprehensive obesity care for older Americans.
TROA addresses current gaps in Medicare coverage including: extending coverage to FDA-approved obesity medications and expanding the range of healthcare providers, beyond physicians, who can effectively administer intensive behavioral therapy (IBT).
“The reintroduction of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act provides hope for millions of older Americans living with obesity,” said Cristy Gallagher, coordinator of OCAN. “TROA will make critical evidence-based care for this chronic, serious disease more accessible and affordable for Medicare beneficiaries. OCAN and its members strongly support and endorse the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act. It is imperative that Congress pass this bipartisan legislation to advance obesity prevention and treatment.”
OCAN appreciates that Senators Cassidy and Luján were joined by U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Fetterman (D-PA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Gary Peters (D-MI), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Chris Coons (D-DE).
According to a survey commissioned by OCAN, a majority of Americans support legislative or executive branch action to expand coverage to older Americans to include obesity medications and access to IBT to help change eating and exercise habits for the treatment of obesity.
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About OCAN
The Obesity Care Advocacy Network (OCAN) is a diverse group of organizations that have come together with the purpose of changing how we perceive and approach the problem of obesity in this nation. The mission of the coalition is to unite and align key obesity stakeholders and the larger obesity community around key obesity-related education, policy and legislative efforts in order to elevate obesity on the national agenda. For more information, visit obesitycareadvocacynetwork.com