US SB1973

Expands Medicare coverage for intensive behavioral therapy for obesity beyond primary care physicians to include physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, registered dietitians, and Secretary-approved community-based lifestyle counseling programs

Requires non-primary care providers to furnish obesity therapy upon referral from and in coordination with a physician or primary care practitioner, with treatment plans communicated back to the referring provider

Adds Medicare Part D coverage for FDA-approved obesity medications and weight loss drugs for overweight individuals with related comorbidities, effective 2 years after enactment

Mandates HHS Secretary submit reports to Congress 1 year after enactment and every 2 years thereafter on implementation progress and recommendations for better coordination of obesity programs across federal agencies

Congressional findings cite 41% obesity rate among adults 60+, $50 billion in annual Medicare obesity-related spending (2014), and projections that 47% of Medicare beneficiaries will have obesity by 2030