2021-04-21 OMA Agenda - Board of Trustees

Advocacy Update for OMA Board of Trustees

Federal Advocacy Treat and Reduce Obesity Act

We continue to aggressively advocate for passage of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) – especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and clear data linking obesity to severe outcomes for COVID-19. While this legislation has now been introduced in a 5 th consecutive Congress, we are hopeful for a number of reasons. • Obesity being recognized only behind old age as leading risk factor for severe outcomes from COVID • Former House GOP TROA lead Brett Guthrie (R-KY) is now the Ranking Member of the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee and joins E&C Health Subcommittee Chair Anna Eshoo (D-CA) as former cosponsors of TROA. Given this Committee has shared jurisdiction over TROA, this should help secure a hearing and movement on the legislation. • We are currently working with TROA House champion Rep. Raul Ruiz, MD (D-CA) to become more active on the legislation from the angle of health disparities and minority health. Rep. Ruiz is the new Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and we have already laid some of this groundwork through a meeting with CHC Executive Director Alma Acosta. • Helped coordinate a congressional webinar during Obesity Care Week, entitled “Obesity Care, COVID-19 and Communities of Color” that focused on TROA and featured obesity medicine specialist and AMA Minority Affairs Section Chair Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford. • Participated in a meeting between OCAN Co-Chairs and lead Biden transition team staff for CMS, CDC and FDA, which included Jon Blum who will soon be heading up the Medicare side of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. During this meeting, Mr. Blum asked whether the obesity community had developed an ideal benefit design for obesity care. We responded by sharing the STOP Obesity Alliance’s Comprehensive Obesity Benefit. I also provided a document I developed entitled, “Supplemental Background on the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act and other Patient Access to Care Issues” that highlighted the previous decade of advocacy efforts by the obesity community to promote coverage of comprehensive obesity care. OMA-Specific Advocacy Efforts Surrounding TROA I coordinated several state-specific advocacy days for OMA Advocacy Committee Members that have included:

• FL Hill meetings with Dr. Abby and Vicky Blakard • OH Hill meetings with Angela Fitch • VA Hill meetings with Cate Varney and Allan Hardy • PA Hill meetings with Vicki March and Verlyn Warrington • CO Hill meetings with Carolynn Francavilla

• WI Hill meetings with Chris Weber • WA Hill meetings with Rick Lindquist