Prepared by Christopher Gallagher, OCC Washington Representative
Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) becomes 21st Senate TROA Cosponsor!
During July, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) became the 21st Senate cosponsor of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) bringing the total House and Senate cosponsors to 168! OCAN members will continue to meet with members of Congress during the August recess in hopes of getting TROA added to any end-of-year must-pass legislative packages. Also stay tuned for more information about OCAN Advocacy Days in September!
Wisconsin Group Insurance Board Punts on AOM State Employee Coverage
During a State of Wisconsin’s Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) Group Insurance Board (GIB) special hearing on June 30th , the GIB voted against providing state employee coverage for anti-obesity medications (AOMs) for 2023. However, the Board does plan to devote a significant portion of its November 16th meeting to the issue as it begins its evaluation process for benefit year 2024. Obesity Care Continuum (OCC) member groups have been advocating before the ETF and the GIB for the past three years for the state employee plan to provide coverage for AOMs and robust medical nutrition therapy (MNT). OCC members will be coordinating advocacy efforts in the coming months to present a strong case for coverage at the November 16th meeting.