1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2017 . 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 34 percent of adults aged 65 and over were obese in the period of 2009 through 2012, representing almost 15 million people. (2) Obesity increases the risk for chronic diseases and conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, certain cancers, arthritis, mental illness, lipid disorders, sleep apnea, and type 2 diabetes. (3) More than half of Medicare beneficiaries are treated for 5 or more chronic conditions per year. The rate of obesity among Medicare patients doubled from 1987 to 2002, and Medicare spending on obese individuals during that time more than doubled. (4) Men and women with obesity at age 65 have decreased life expectancy of 1.6 years for men and 1.4 years for women. (5) The direct and indirect cost of obesity is more than $450 billion annually. (6) On average, a Medicare beneficiary with obesity costs $1,964 more than a normal-weight beneficiary. (7) The prevalence of obesity among older individuals in the United States is growing at a linear rate and, if nothing changes, nearly half of the elderly population of the United States will have obesity in 2030 according to a Congressional Research Report on obesity. 3. Authority to expand health care providers qualified to furnish intensive behavioral therapy Section 1861(ddd) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395x(ddd) ) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (4) (A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary may, in addition to qualified primary care physicians and other primary care practitioners, cover intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by any of the following: (i) A physician (as defined in subsection (r)(1)) who is not a qualified primary care physician. (ii) Any other appropriate health care provider (including a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist (as those terms are