Advocacy
Highlights of HR 5209, The Healthy CHOICES Act
- Establish BMI as a "vital sign" and require BMI information to be provided in vaccination records for school-age children.
- Establish grant program to help states disseminate information about BMI results to parents and children.
- Expand coverage for obesity prevention and treatment services in Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP.
- Expand Coverage of Medical Nutrition Therapy: Expand coverage of medical nutrition therapy in Medicaid and SCHIP.
- Provide grants to promote healthy eating behaviors and physical activity in communities disproportionately affected by overweight and obesity.
- Provide grants to train health professionals and health profession students on how to prevent and treat obesity.
- National Center for Health Statistics: Expand collection of data on obesity.
- Report on Obesity Research: Report on existing research and research gaps.
We encourage all TOS members to visit the Obesity Action Coalition's Legislative Action Center where you will be able to access a special message that you can email your legislators urging them to cosponsor HR 5209. To assist you in utilizing the action center, the OAC has developed a brief tutorial video that walks first-time users through the action center.
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