BREAKING: The Bill That Could Force Medicare to Cover Obesity Drugs Is Here

Weeks after our advocacy efforts in DC, the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act is here. Here’s what it could mean for patients.

Just a few weeks ago, I was in Washington, D.C. with a dear friend Mike Donnely-Boylan advocating for improved access to obesity treatment. We had meetings on Capitol Hill, including one with Senator Bill Cassidy’s office. If you are not familiar, Senator Cassidy is one of the more influential lawmakers when it comes to health policy, and we spent a good chunk of that meeting talking about something I have been telling this community about for months. The urgent need for Medicare to finally start covering real obesity treatment.

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Well, friends, one of the bills we were advocating for has officially been introduced: the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2025.

Here is what it would do.

Right now, Medicare beneficiaries who live with obesity face enormous barriers to getting evidence-based treatment. Medicare limits coverage of behavioral therapy to only certain primary care providers. And worse, Medicare flat out bans coverage of anti-obesity medications. Let me say that again. Even with a drug like Zepbound, which has shown an average around 20% weight loss, Medicare won’t touch it. Patients either have to pay out of pocket or go without.

The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2025 would begin to change that. It would open up the list of providers who can deliver behavioral therapy, so patients can work with dietitians, psychologists, and community-based programs. But more importantly, it would allow Medicare Part D to cover FDA-approved medications for obesity. This is the breakthrough we need.

We were in Senator Cassidy’s office making the case for this very change. We shared data. We shared your stories. And today, TROA has a real chance of passing with a bipartisan coalition of 15 co-sponsoring senators.

Of course, this is only the first step. The bill still needs to gain support and move through the legislative process. But I can tell you this. The conversations in Washington have shifted. Lawmakers are listening. More of them understand now that obesity is a disease, and it deserves to be treated like one.

I will keep this community updated every step of the way, because your voices matter in this fight. If this bill passes, it would be a game changer for millions of Americans who have been shut out of the most effective treatments we have.

If you want to get in the fight, we implore you to subscribe and help grow On The Pen and then follow the steps below:

FIND YOUR SENATOR: 👉 www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Use this template (or your own words if you’d like, to express your support for TROA!

COPY THIS TEMPLATE (REPLACE WITH YOUR SENATOR’S NAME):

Dear Senator [Last Name], as your constituent, I urge you to support the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2025. This legislation is crucial for expanding access to effective obesity treatments for Medicare beneficiaries. Thank you for your consideration.

Senate Co-Sponsors (per the OAC):

Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)
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)
Chris Coons (D-DE)