United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 16 D · 7 R cosponsors

S 1973 — Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2025

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced June 05, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 23 sponsors

    1 primary, 22 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (16 D · 7 R) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2025This bill expands Medicare coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity. Specifically, the bill allows coverage for therapy that is provided by (1) a physician who is not a primary care physician; or (2) other health care providers (e.g., physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and approved counseling programs, if provided upon a referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner. Currently, such therapy is covered only if provided by a primary care practitioner.The bill also allows coverage under Medicare's prescription drug benefit of drugs used for the treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for individuals who are overweight.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

3 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill expands Medicare coverage for obesity treatment by authorizing additional healthcare providers to offer intensive behavioral therapy and changing medication coverage guidelines.

  • 42 U.S.C. 1395x(ddd)

    (4)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary may, in addition to qualified primary care physicians and other primary care practitioners, cover intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by any of the following: (i) A physician (as defined in subsection (r)(1)) who is not a qualified primary care physician. (ii) Any other appropriate health care provider (including a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist (as those terms are defined in subsection (aa)(5)), a clinical psychologist, a registered dietitian or nutrition professional (as defined in subsection (vv))). (iii) An evidence-based, community-based lifestyle counseling program approved by the Secretary. (B) In the case of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by a provider described in clause (ii) or (iii) of subparagraph (A), the Secretary may only cover such therapy if such therapy is furnished-- (i) upon referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner operating in a primary care setting or any other setting specified by the Secretary; and (ii) in an office setting, a hospital outpatient department, a community-based site that complies with the Federal regulations concerning the privacy of individually identifiable health information promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or another setting specified by the Secretary.

    This allows more healthcare providers to offer obesity treatment under Medicare, enhancing access to behavioral therapy.

  • 42 U.S.C. 1395w-102(e)(2)(A)

    and other than → other than

    This change simplifies the language for clarity.

  • 42 U.S.C. 1395w-102(e)(2)(A)

    and other than subparagraph (A) of such section if the drug is used for the treatment of obesity (as defined in section 1861(yy)(2)(C)) or for weight loss management for an individual who is overweight (as defined in section 1861(yy)(2)(F)(i)) and has one or more related comorbidities,

    This provision allows Medicare coverage for obesity medications that were previously excluded if specific criteria are met.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 22 co-sponsors · 524 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (22)

Not signed on (524)

524 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 524 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

healthcare health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 1973 do?
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2025This bill expands Medicare coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity. Specifically, the bill allows coverage for therapy that is provided by (1) a physician who is not a primary care physician; or (2) other health care providers (e.g., physician assistants and nurse practitioners) and approved counseling programs, if provided upon a referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner. Currently, such therapy is covered only if provided by a primary care practitioner.The bill also allows coverage under Medicare's prescription drug benefit of drugs used for the treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for individuals who are overweight.
Who sponsors S 1973?
S 1973 is sponsored by Luján, Ben Ray (Democratic), Tillis, Thomas (Republican), Padilla, Alex (Democratic), Blackburn, Marsha (Republican), Fetterman, John (Democratic), Capito, Shelley Moore (Republican), Gallego, Ruben (Democratic), Hyde-Smith, Cindy (Republican), Peters, Gary C. (Democratic), Wicker, Roger F. (Republican), Klobuchar, Amy (Democratic), Booker, Cory A. (Democratic), Blumenthal, Richard (Democratic), Heinrich, Martin (Democratic), Van Hollen, Chris (Democratic), Coons, Christopher A. (Democratic), Shaheen, Jeanne (Democratic), Budd, Ted (Republican), Warnock, Raphael G. (Democratic), Merkley, Jeff (Democratic), Alsobrooks, Angela D. (Democratic), Duckworth, Tammy (Democratic), and Cassidy, Bill (Republican).
What is the current status of S 1973?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced June 05, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 1973?
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