Maher / 4 – Senator Clarke W​ ​Senate 4.

A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the coordination of programs to prevent and treat
obesity, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
4 This act may be cited as the Control Obesity Act of 2020
5
6 SECTION 2. FINDINGS
7 Congress hereby finds and declares that,
8 1) ​Obesity is a common but often underestimated condition of clinical and public health importance in many
9 countries around the world.
10 2) ​The prevalence of obesity was 39.8% and affected about 93.3 million of US adults in 2015~2016.
11 3)​Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular
12 diseases and cancer.
13 4) ​Men and women with obesity at age 65 have decreased life expectancy of 1.6 years for men and 1.4 years for
14 women.
15 5) ​35 percent of women and 31 percent of men are considered seriously overweight.
16 6) ​15 percent of children between the ages of six and 19 are overweight.
17 7) ​Each year obesity-related conditions cost over 150 billion dollars and cause an estimated 300,000 premature
18 deaths in the US.
19 8) ​The medical cost for people who have obesity was $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
20 9) ​The prevalence of obesity was 18.5% and affected about 13.7 million children and adolescents.
21 10) ​In the US, approximately one-third of overweight or obese persons exhibit metabolic syndrome.
22 11) Besides suffering from physical illnesses, obese adults and children also may experience social stigmatization
23 and discrimination, as well as psychological problem.
24 12) Obesity is a common and preventable disease of clinical and public health importance.
25
26 SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
27 A) The Control Obesity Act of 2020 shall amend title ​XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for the
28 coordination of programs to prevent and treat obesity, and for other purposes. Title XVIII shall pertain to all legal
29 citizens who really need help. Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormalities that can damage health or
30 excessive fat accumulation. Social Security refers to any people who need to help, but title XVIII only mentions the
31 elderly and the disabled, It should add to the obese population, provide appropriate medical insurance benefits to
32 obese people, and improve hospitals’ equipment for obesity treatment. At the same time, develop supplementary
33 medical insurance plans for people with obesity problems.
34 B) The United States Department of Social Security will be responsible for ensuring that people's awareness and
35 attention to obesity. Regularly provide free medical examinations to the public to detect their physical condition and
36 discover early obesity problems, thereby controlling the rate of obesity.
37 C) Many children face obesity problems. The government should ask schools to ensure students’ physical activity
38 and improve their athletic interest. If a school cuts or cancels vacation and physical education courses, it will be
39 sanctioned by law. The legal department should immediately investigate the school. If the situation is true, the school
40 should be given a certain punishment, and the school should be reorganized to arrange the physical education
41 curriculum.
42 D) The government should require the medical department to improve the treatment of obesity, develop new drugs,
43 and ensure the quality of medical protection equipment. In case of hospitals that do not meet the requirements,
44 appropriate punishment will be given to ensure the medical benefits of obese people.
45 E) Diet is also one of the key factors of obesity. The social protection department should strengthen the control of
46 restaurants and other eating places, set rules for the diet, reduce the amount of oil and salt, and encourage restaurants
47 to purchase organic ingredients.