        
|
U.S. House of Representatives:
WORK WITH THE EDC TO PASS
|
|
The Eating Disorders Awareness, Education, and Prevention Act of 2003 (H.R. 873) was introduced during Eating Disorders Awareness Week on February 25, 2003, in the U.S. House by Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Rep. Ted Strickland (D-OH). The next day, Rep. Biggert spoke at the EDC's Congressional Briefing during Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Currently this bill has only 40 cosponsors. Let's work to get this legislation passed in 2004! This is a "dream bill" for our community in terms of awareness, prevention, and education. SUMMARY: Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act of 2003 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the use of innovative assistance funds for programs to: (1) improve identification of students with eating disorders; (2) increase awareness of such disorders among parents and students; and (3) train educators with respect to effective eating disorder prevention and assistance methods. Directs the Secretary of Education to carry out a program to broadcast public service announcements to improve public awareness, and to promote the identification and prevention, of eating disorders. Requires the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Center for Health Statistics to: (1) study the impact eating disorders have on educational advancement and achievement; (2) report on current State and local programs to educate youth on the dangers of eating disorders; and (3) recommend Federal, State, and local measures that could be undertaken. |
EDC Action Alert: 1) Thank the sponsor and cosponsors of "The Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act of 2003" (below) for their support, and urge them to continue to work for its speedy passage.Sponsor: Rep Biggert, Judy [IL-13]Cosponsors (42)
|
U.S. Senate:
PASSED BY THE SENATE! WORK WITH THE EDC TO PASS
The Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act'
or the "IMPACT Act"
(S. 1172)
The Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act'
or the "IMPACT Act"
|
The Improved
Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (or the IMPACT Act) (S. 1172),
now incorporates concrete language and support for addressing eating disorders,
thanks to the work of the Eating Disorders Coalition for Policy, Research, and
Action (EDC). U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, MD (R-TN) and Senators
Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
introduced the IMPACT bill June 3, 2003. "While it is so important
to fight the obesity epidemic, we should not inadvertently send the
wrong message by telling our children and adults simply to eat less and
exercise, Senator Clinton said. “Unfortunately, many adolescents
misinterpret this as a message that they should eat to achieve the body
of a runway model. Anorexia and bulimia are increasingly common among
our nation's youth. SUMMARY: Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (or the IMPACT Act) - Amends the Public Health Service Act to address issues of overweight, obesity, and eating disorders. Expands an existing grant program for training for health profession students to include the treatment of overweight, obesity, and eating disorders. Creates a grant program for training for health professionals in such areas. Creates grant programs at the local level to promote increased physical activity and improved nutrition (in place of current law, which provides for grants to promote childhood nutrition and physical activity). Targets partnerships with businesses, schools, senior centers, day care facilities and other institutions. Allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to give priority in awarding grants to recipients who provide matching contributions. Permits the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to provide technical assistance to grantees. Allows the Secretary, acting through the National Center for Health Statistics, to provide for the collection and analysis of certain data, including data collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Permits the Secretary to: (1) make grants to States, public entities, and nonprofits to further the collection and analysis of such data; and (2) provide technical assistance to such grantees. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to request that the Institute of Medicine conduct a study or contract for a study on the food and nutrition programs run by the Department of Agriculture. Permits the use of preventive health and health services block grants for community education programs which promote healthy eating and exercise habits. Establishes reporting requirements with regard to: (1) obesity research; and (2) the national campaign to change children's health behaviors and reduce obesity. |
EDC Action Alert: Thank the senators listed below
for their sponsorship of this bill. Thank ALL senators for
passing this bill in the U.S. Senate.
THIS BILL PASSED IN THE SENATE! CONGRATULATIONS TO
EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE THIS HAPPEN!
Complete contact information for the U.S. Senate is online at
www.senate.gov. Sen Alexander, Lamar [TN] 6/3/2003 Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM] 6/3/2003 Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] 4/21/2004 Sen Campbell, Ben Nighthorse [CO] 7/10/2003 Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [NY] 6/3/2003 Sen Cochran, Thad [MS] 10/29/2003 Sen Collins, Susan M. [ME] 7/17/2003 Sen Cornyn, John [TX] 11/10/2003 Sen DeWine, Michael [OH] 6/3/2003 Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [CT] 6/3/2003 Sen Fitzgerald, Peter [IL] 10/15/2003 Sen Johnson, Tim [SD] 11/3/2003 Sen Landrieu, Mary [LA] 6/3/2003 Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ] 10/29/2003 Sen Lugar, Richard G. [IN] 6/3/2003 Sen McConnell, Mitch [KY] 9/4/2003 Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD] 10/29/2003 Sen Murkowski, Lisa [AK] 6/16/2004 Sen Murray, Patty [WA] 6/3/2003 Sen Roberts, Pat [KS] 6/27/2003 Sen Sarbanes, Paul S. [MD] 4/21/2004 Sen Sessions, Jeff [AL] 6/3/2003 Sen Stabenow, Debbie [MI] 7/8/2003 Sen Stevens, Ted [AK] 6/4/2003 Sen Warner, John W. [VA] 6/3/2003 Sen Wyden, Ron [OR] 11/17/2003 |
U.S. House of Representatives:
WORK WITH THE EDC TO PASS
The Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act'
or the "IMPACT Act"
(H.R. 716)
SUMMARY AS OF: 2/12/2003--Introduced.Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (IMPACT Act) - Amends the Public Health Service Act to address issues of overweight and obesity.Modifies an existing grant program funding the training of health profession personnel to include the treatment of overweight and obesity among categories to which the Secretary of Health and Human Services is directed to give special consideration. Creates a grant program to fund the training of health professionals to: (1) treat and prevent obesity; and (2) aid people who are overweight.Creates grant programs at the local level to promote increased physical activity and improved nutrition. Targets partnerships with businesses, schools, senior centers, day care facilities and other institutions.Expands an existing coordinated school health program to include grants for the development of programs which focus on healthy lifestyle, including balanced diet and physical activity.Permits the use of preventive health and health services block grants for community education programs which promote healthy eating and exercise habits. Directs the Secretary to consider geographic diversity in issuing such grants and to ensure that such grants focus on physical activity and food-based research.Creates a Medicare demonstration project to reduce obesity and other chronic disease risks in older Americans.Makes grants available to local healthcare delivery systems for overweight and obesity treatment and prevention demonstration programs.Makes grants available for a national campaign to change children's health behaviors.Promoting Healthy Eating Behaviors in Youth Act - Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to award competitive grants to States, political subdivisions of States, and other entities for the implementation of State and community-based intervention programs to promote good nutrition, including in children and adolescents. Sets forth a sunset date for such grants of five years after the enactment of this Act. |
Sponsor: Rep Bono, Mary [CA-45]Cosponsors (79)
|
Rep Latham, Tom [IA-4]
|
U.S.
Senate and U.S. House of Representatives:
WORK WITH THE EDC TO PASS
The Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health
Equitable Treatment Act
(S. 486) and
(H.R. 953)
|
Background: In 1996, Congress passed the Mental Health Parity Act (P.L.
104-204), which eliminated annual and lifetime dollar limits for mental
healthcare for companies with more than 50 employees. Many employers
have been able to skirt the spirit of the law, however, by placing new
restrictions on mental health benefits, such as additional limits on
outpatient office visits and number of days for inpatient care. The Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act (S. 486) and (H.R. 953) was introduced during Eating Disorders Awareness Week on February 27, 2003. In the U.S. Senate it was introduced by Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and in the U.S. House by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Rep. Jim Ramstad. A dozen of our EDC members and FAC supporters were at the press conference where Kitty Westin was a featured speaker! We are starting this session out strong as more than 220 members have already expressed their support by signing on as cosponsors. A cosponsor is someone who has signed onto a bill making a statement that she or he supports it. Let's work to get this legislation passed this year! This is our first parity action alert. Please read and respond with action! It makes a difference! SUMMARY (identical language in both bills): Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Public Health Service Act to prohibit certain employee group health plans or related insurances providing both medical-surgical and mental health benefits from imposing mental health treatment limitations or financial requirements unless comparable limitations and requirements are imposed upon medical-surgical benefits. States that the foregoing shall not be construed as requiring a group health plan (or related insurances) to: (1) provide any mental health benefits; (2) prevent the medical management of mental health benefits; or (3) require the provision of specific mental health services, except to the extent that failure to provide such services would result in a disparity between the coverage of mental health and medical-surgical benefits. Exempts specified small employers from such requirements. Requires that, in the case of a group health plan that offers a participant or beneficiary two or more benefit package options, the coverage requirements shall be applied separately with respect to each such option. Provides that, in the case of a plan or insurance providing in-network mental health benefits, out-of-network mental health benefits need not be provided at parity to medical-surgical benefits, as long as in-network mental health benefits are provided at parity with medical-surgical benefits and the plan or insurance provides reasonable access to in-network providers and facilities. Requires a General Accounting Office study of such requirements' effects upon health insurance costs, access, and quality and a cost estimation of extending such requirements to the treatment of substance abuse and chemical dependency. |
EDC Action Alert: 1) Thank the cosponsors of "Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act" for their support, and urge them to continue to work for its speedy passage. If you do not know if your senators or your representative in the house are already on the bill, check by clicking on the following Web links for the Senate version (S. 486) and for the House version (H.R. 953). You can always check the status of legislation at the Library of Congress, http://thomas.loc.gov. 2) Urge non-cosponsors to sign on in support of this important legislation. Option 1: Contact your legislators by using the Parity Hotline
(1-866-parity4...1-866-727-4894). This reaches the Capitol Switchboard, which
can connect callers to the correct member of Congress. If you prefer, you can
contact one of the state offices of Message of call or E-mail: Edit as needed, put into your own words. To House Cosponsors: To Remaining House Members: To Senate Cosponsors: To Remaining Senators: |
U.S.
Senate:
WORK WITH THE EDC TO PASS
The HeLP America Act of 2004 (S. 2558)