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H.R. 2404: Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2015

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H.R. 2404: Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2015

114th Congress · introduced 2015-05-18 · Health · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2015-05-18 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Paulsen, Erik [R-MN-3] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2015

Plain summary

Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2015 Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in addition to qualified primary care physicians and other primary care practitioners, to cover intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by: (1) a physician who is not a qualified primary care physician; (2) an evidence-based, community-based HHS-approved lifestyle counseling program; or (3) any other appropriate health care provider (including a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, a clinical psychologist, and a registered dietitian or nutrition professional). Allows coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by another appropriate health care provider or program only if it is furnished: (1) upon referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner in a primary care or other HHS-specified setting; and (2) 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, or another HHS-specified setting. Authorizes HHS to cover under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) medication for treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for an overweight individual with one or more related comorbidities.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2015

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Paulsen, Erik [R-MN-3] · 163 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Scott H. Peters (D-CA), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Todd Young (R-IN), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Mark Takano (D-CA) and 103 more.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)
Appropriation
Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
Securities
Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong114-hr2404 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114