Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios
The House Ways and Means Committee is on track to mark up the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act on Thursday, per multiple lobbyists.
Why it matters: It would be a significant first step towards reversing a policy that prevents Medicare from covering blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound.
- But lobbyists said staff are still working on the bills and that the timeline could slip to later this summer.
Between the lines: There's been much discussion around how Medicare would pay for the anti-obesity medications that are often priced at over $1,000 per month. The CBO has previously warned that coverage could come at a significant cost to the federal program.
What's inside: Ways and Means Republicans have already discussed scaling back the bill, by limiting coverage to individuals who are already taking the medication and then age into Medicare, said lobbyists.
- The version of the bill under consideration could still change before the markup.
- A GOP committee spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
The big picture: Reducing the number of seniors who would be eligible for coverage of the drugs would likely lower the bill's cost and potentially make it more acceptable to lawmakers concerned about Medicare's finances.
Lobbyists said Ways and Means also plans to mark up several other bipartisan health bills, including:
- The Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act of 2023, which would allow for Medicare to cover breakthrough medical devices for a four-year temporary period.
- The Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act which would allow Medicare to cover multi-cancer early detection screening tests.
Between the lines: Rep. Brad Wenstrup has been a longtime co-sponsor of TROA and is a member of Ways and Means that's retiring at the end of this Congress, so it tracks he would want movement on his bill before he leaves.
- The medical device bill is also a Wenstrup priority, while House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington is the lead sponsor on the cancer testing bill.
What we're watching: Whether TROA maintains its bipartisan appeal in the face of cost concerns. A Democratic committee spokesperson did not respond to a question gauging Democratic support.
- Members from both parties have expressed concern about the cost of the legislation, as we highlighted last week during our Pro event with Senate bill co-sponsors Sens. Tom Carper and Bill Cassidy.
- Carper said last week that he hopes to get a hearing on the bill on the Senate side before he retires.
