,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bdae  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #ah1 #bjac ,mr4
 ,cassidy 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,kind1 ,mr4
 ,lance1 ,mr4 ,guthrie1 ,mrs4           
,blackburn1 ,mrs4 ,christensen1 ,mr4    
,ben ,ray ,lujn of ,new ,mexico1 ,mr4   
,roskam1 ,mr4 ,blumenauer1 ,mr4         
,paulsen1 and ,mr4 ,peters of           
,california7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and
 in addition to the ,committee on ,ways 
and ,means1 for a period to be          
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend title ,,xviii of   
the ,social ,security ,act to include   
information on the coverage of intensive
 behavioral therapy for obesity in the  
,medicare and ,you ,handbook and to     
provide for the coordination of programs
 to prevent and treat obesity1 and for  

other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,treat and     
,reduce ,obesity ,act of #bjac4  #b4    
,findings ,congress makes the following 
findings3  7#a7 ,according to the       
,centers for ,disease ,control1 about   
#ce percent of adults aged #fe and over 
were obese in the period of #bjjg       
through #bjaj1 representing over #h     
million adults aged #fe through #gd4    
7#b7 ,obesity increases the risk for    
chronic diseases and conditions1        
including high blood pressure1 heart    
disease1 and type #b diabetes4  7#c7    
,more than half of ,medicare            
beneficiaries are treated for #e or more
 chronic conditions per year4 ,the rate 
of obesity among ,medicare patients     
doubled from #aihg to #bjjb1 and        
spending on those individuals more than 
doubled4  7#d7 ,obese men and women at  
age #fe have decreased life expectancy  
of #a4f years for men and #a4d years for
 women4  7#e7 ,the direct and indirect  
cost of obesity is more than #dej       

billion annually4  7#f7 ,on average1 an 
obese ,medicare beneficiary costs #a1ifd
 more than a normal-weight beneficiary4 
7#g7 ,the prevalence of obesity among   
older ,americans is growing at a linear 
rate and1 left unchanged1 nearly half of
 the elderly population will be obese in
 #bjcj according to a ,congressional    
,research ,report on obesity4  #c4      
,inclusion of information on coverage of
 intensive behavioral therapy for       
obesity in the ,medicare and ,you       
,handbook  7a7 ,in general ,section     
#ahjd7;a7 of the ,social ,security ,act 
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acie;b-#b7;a77 is       
amended--  7#a7 in paragraph 7#b71 by   
striking 8and0 at the end2  7#b7 in     
paragraph 7#c71 by striking the period  
at the end and inserting 1 and2 and     
7#c7 by inserting after paragraph 7#c7  
the following new paragraph3  7#d7      
information on the coverage of intensive
 behavioral therapy for obesity under   
this title1 including information       
regarding primary care physicians and   

other providers of services and         
suppliers who are eligible to furnish   
such therapy4  4  7b7 ,effective date   
,the amendments made by subsection 7a7  
shall apply to notices distributed on or
 after the date of the enactment of this
 ,act4  #d4 ,authority to expand health 
care providers qualified to furnish     
intensive behavioral therapy ,section   
#ahfa7;ddd7 of the ,social ,security    
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciex7ddd77 is     
amended by adding at the end the        
following new paragraph3  7#d7 ,the     
,secretary may1 in addition to qualified
 primary care physicians and other      
primary care practitioners1 allow other 
physicians1 registered dietitians1      
certified diabetes educators1 and       
instructors trained and certified by the
 ,national ,diabetes ,prevention        
,lifestyle ,coach ,training program of  
the ,centers for ,disease ,control and  
,prevention to provide and be           
independently reimbursed for intensive  
behavioral therapy for obesity furnished

 outside of the primary care setting1 so
 long as any such nonphysician provider 
or instructor furnishing such therapy to
 an individual must communicate any     
recommendations or treatment plan for   
the individual to the individual's      
primary care physician or practitioner4 
4  #e4 ,medicare part ,d coverage of    
obesity medication  7a7 ,in general     
,section #ahfj;,d-#b7;e77#b77;,a7 of the
 ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4  
#aciew-#ajb7;e77#b77;,a77 is amended by 
inserting after under section           
#aibg7;d77#b71 the following3 other than
 subparagraph 7,a7 of such section if   
the drug is used for the treatment of   
obesity 7as defined in section          
#ahfa7yy77#b77;,c77 or for weight loss  
management for an individual who is     
overweight 7as defined in section       
#ahfa7yy77#b77;,f77i77 and if the       
individual has one or more              
comorbidities14  7b7 ,effective date    
,the amendment made by subsection 7a7   
shall apply to plan years beginning on  

or after the date that is #b years after
 the date of the enactment of this ,act4