Bipartisan legislation would expand Medicare coverage of comprehensive obesity treatments

View in browser

Key Takeaways:

• The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) has been reintroduced in the U.S. Senate. Reintroduction in the U.S. House of Representatives is expected soon.
• If passed and signed into law, TROA would require Medicare to cover anti-obesity medications, including GLP-1s, and expand access to intensive behavioral therapy for weight management.
• TROA has historically gained bipartisan support and was first introduced in Congress over 10 years ago.

ARLINGTON, Va., June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council on Aging (NCOA), the national voice for every person's right to age well, applauds today's reintroduction of the bipartisan Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) in the U.S. Senate.

Led by Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., TROA would expand Medicare coverage for the full continuum of obesity care, recognizing obesity as a chronic, treatable disease that affects 40 percent of older Americans.

First introduced in 2013, TROA aims to improve Medicare by removing outdated barriers to quality obesity care. The legislation has consistently received bipartisan support, highlighting a growing agreement among policymakers about the need to tackle the nation's obesity epidemic.

"Obesity is a chronic condition that has affected millions of Americans for decades, but getting adequate care remains stubbornly difficult for too many older adults," said Ramsey Alwin, NCOA President and CEO. "The reintroduction of TROA is a welcome and vital step toward ensuring all Americans have access to the full range of obesity treatments."

The legislation would repeal an outdated statute that prevents Medicare Part D from covering FDA-approved obesity medications. TROA also enhances access to intensive behavioral therapy (IBT) under Medicare Part B, which under current policy can only be provided by primary care doctors. TROA expands access to IBT to ensure a broader array of health care providers, including registered dietitian nutritionists, obesity medicine specialists, endocrinologists, bariatric surgeons, clinical psychologists, and community-based providers. By expanding access to lifestyle-based interventions like IBT, TROA ensures patients with obesity will have access to the full spectrum of obesity care.

Obesity is linked to over 200 medical conditions and is responsible for an estimated 400,000 deaths annually. In addition to the health impacts of obesity, it is also an expensive disease, costing an estimated $173 billion in the United States in 2019. Expanding insurance coverage of obesity treatments could help reduce the cost burden of obesity to both patients and all Americans. According to the USC Schaffer Center, access to innovative anti-obesity medicines, including GLP-1s, can produce a 13% return on investment. Another recent study found that employees taking anti-obesity medications saw reduced growth in medical cost rates over two years compared to those not taking them, resulting in lower costs for their employers in addition to significant health improvements.

NCOA has advocated for older adults with obesity to be treated fairly by providers free from weight stigma and bias. With the National Consumers League, NCOA helped develop the Obesity Bill of Rights in 2024.

About NCOA
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is the national voice for every person's right to age well. Working with thousands of national and local partners, we provide resources, tools, best practices, and advocacy to ensure every person can age with health and financial security. Founded in 1950, we are the oldest national organization focused on older adults. Learn more at www.ncoa.org and @NCOAging.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ncoa-applauds-reintroduction-of-treat-and-reduce-obesity-act-302474673.html

SOURCE National Council on Aging