,,ii #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #eif ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #d1 #bjba,mr4 ,carper 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cassidy1 ,mrs4 ,capito1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mrs4 ,hyde-,smith1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,ms4 ,sinema1 ,ms4 ,ernst1 ,ms4 ,murkowski1 ,mr4 ,cramer1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 and ,mr4 ,heinrich7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,finance ,a ,,bill ,to amend title ,,xviii of the ,social ,security ,act 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 #bjba4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,according to the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 about #da percent of adults aged #fj and over had obesity in the period of #bjae through #bjaf1 representing more than #bg million people4 7#b7 ,the ,national ,institutes of ,health has reported that obesity and overweight are now the second leading cause of death nationally1 with an estimated #cjj1jjj deaths a year attributed to the epidemic4 7#c7 ,obesity increases the risk for chronic diseases and conditions1 including high blood pressure1 heart disease1 certain cancers1 arthritis1 mental illness1 lipid disorders1 sleep apnea1 and type #b diabetes4 7#d7 ,more than half of ,medicare beneficiaries are treated for #e or more chronic conditions per year4 ,the rate of obesity among ,medicare beneficiaries doubled from #aihg to #bjjb and nearly doubled again by #bjaf1 with ,medicare spending on individuals with obesity during that time rising proportionately to reach #ej billion in #bjad4 7#e7 ,men and women with obesity at age #fe have decreased life expectancy of #a4f years for men and #a4d years for women4 7#f7 ,the direct and indirect cost of obesity was more than #dbg4h billion in #bjad and is growing4 7#g7 ,on average1 a ,medicare beneficiary with obesity costs #b1jah 7in #bjai dollars7 more than a healthy-weight beneficiary4 7#h7 ,the prevalence of obesity among older individuals in the ,united ,states is growing at a linear rate and1 if nothing changes1 nearly one in two 7#dg percent7 ,medicare beneficiaries aged #fe and over will have obesity in #bjcj1 up from slightly more than one in four 7#bh percent7 in #bjaj4 #c4 ,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 7,a7 ,subject to subparagraph 7,b71 the ,secretary may1 in addition to qualified primary care physicians and other primary care practitioners1 cover intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by any of the following3 7i7 ,a physician 7as defined in subsection 7r77#a77 who is not a qualified primary care physician4 7ii7 ,any other appropriate health care provider 7including a physician assistant1 nurse practitioner1 or clinical nurse specialist 7as those terms are defined in subsection 7aa77#e771 a clinical psychologist1 a registered dietitian or nutrition professional 7as defined in subsection 7vv7774 7iii7 ,an evidence-based1 community-based lifestyle counseling program approved by the ,secretary4 7,b7 ,in the case of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by a provider described in clause 7ii7 or 7iii7 of subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary may only cover such therapy if such therapy is furnished-- 7i7 upon referral from1 and in coordination with1 a physician or primary care practitioner operating in a primary care setting or any other setting specified by the ,secretary2 and 7ii7 in an office setting1 a hospital outpatient department1 a community-based site that complies with the ,federal regulations concerning the privacy of individually identifiable health information promulgated under section #bfd7;c7 of the ,health ,insurance ,portability and ,accountability ,act of #aiif1 or another setting specified by the ,secretary4 7,c7 ,in order to ensure a collaborative effort1 the coordination described in subparagraph 7,b77i7 shall include the health care provider or lifestyle counseling program communicating to the referring physician or primary care practitioner any recommendations or treatment plans made regarding the therapy4 4 #d4 ,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 amended1 in the first sentence-- 7#a7 by striking and other than and inserting other than2 and 7#b7 by inserting after benzodiazepines71 the following3 and 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 has one or more related comorbidities14 7b7 ,effective date ,the amendments 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 #e4 ,report to ,congress ,not later than the date that is #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and every #b years thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall submit a report to ,congress describing the steps the ,secretary has taken to implement the provisions of1 and amendments made by1 this ,act4 ,such report shall also include recommendations for better coordination and leveraging of programs within the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services and other ,federal agencies that relate in any way to supporting appropriate research and clinical care 7such as any interactions between physicians and other health care providers and their patients7 to treat1 reduce1 and prevent obesity in the adult population4