Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL) is relaunching the bipartisan Preventive Health and Wellness Caucus with Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI) as obesity surges in the United States, even in the military, prompting the introduction of two pieces of legislation.
The Congressional Preventive Health and Wellness Caucus will work to identify and highlight how obesity affects American life, not just in terms of health but also in terms of economic cost, and then propose policies to research, prevent, and treat obesity.
As Rep. Buchanan's press release explained, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 74% of American adults are overweight, and 43% of that number are considered obese.
In addition, the Joint Economic Committee estimated that between 2024 and 2023, Medicare and Medicaid will spend $4.1 trillion on obesity-related health issues.
Not only does this high rate of obesity affect us economically, but also militarily: the American Security Project suggested the number of obese servicemembers has doubled in recent years, and another CDC study found that 1 in 3 young adults aged 17-24 are overweight and cannot serve in the military.
Thus, Rep. Buchanan's two pieces of legislation require the Department of Defense to devise a strategy and education program targeting obesity within the military and conduct studies on the effects of obesity on in-service injuries and medical discharges, the resultant cost, and access to healthy foods for service members and their families.
"With federal health care spending exceeding $4 trillion per year and obesity affecting approximately 42 percent of American adults, it's clear that more needs to be done to address this growing health care crisis," said the Florida Congressman, adding, "Obesity not only places a tremendous strain on our health care system but also directly impacts military readiness. I'm proud to work with Rep. Moore to relaunch the bipartisan Congressional Preventive Health and Wellness Caucus and introduce critical legislation to combat obesity within our military. Together, these efforts will strengthen our nation's health, enhance military preparedness, and help ensure the United States remains the world's strongest and healthiest nation."
Rep. Moore added, "Obesity is a growing issue in all populations, including in our Armed Forces. More than one in five active-duty service members have obesity."
"As co-chair of the Preventive Health and Wellness Caucus, I'm partnering with Rep. Buchanan in seeking better information on how the obesity epidemic is affecting our nation's military readiness and the health of our service members, which will hopefully help lead to the development of comprehensive strategies to address this challenge," Rep. Moore concluded.