In Congress, the creation of caucuses provides a path for United State Representatives to work together to pursue common legislative goals. With hundreds of caucuses in government today, each caucuses’ ideological focus is dedicated to emerging policy issues that move a specific initiatives forward. U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI) recently announced the launch of the bipartisan Congressional Preventative Health and Wellness Caucus aimed at bringing awareness to the obesity epidemic in the country—Buchanan serves as the Vice Chairman U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and Chairman of the Health Subcommittee.

The economic and social implications of obesity are profound. The Joint Economic Committee economists projected that Medicare and Medicaid would spend $4.1 trillion on obesity-related diseases from 2024 to 2033. Additionally, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that roughly 74% of adults in the U.S. are overweight, including 43% who are obese and childhood obesity also seeing a dramatic rise, tripling since the 1970s. The rise of obesity is also posing a national security issue as the rates of obesity in service members have doubled in the past decade with one and three young adults unable to serve in the military because of their weight.

“With a staggering 43 percent of adults and 20 percent of children in the U.S. suffering from obesity, it’s clear we need to get serious about this growing health care crisis and give people the tools they need to tackle this disease and ultimately live longer, healthier and happier lives,” says Buchanan. Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI) echoed this sentiment, expressing her enthusiasm for the caucus’ potential to improve health outcomes for all Americans.

Aside from the creation of the congressional caucus, Buchanan, Congressman McGovern (D-MA), and seven other lawmakers led a bipartisan letter to the Accreditation Council for Medical Education (ACGME) asking the Council to better prepare physicians in treating diet-related diseases and other health related screenings.

Through the caucus, Buchanan aims to address the dangers of obesity in society by proposing new policy-centric solutions. His focus includes prevention, Medical Research and Innovation (MRI), Food as Medicine (FAM), health disparities, stigma and the impact of obesity on military readiness and physical fitness. The bipartisan group plans to achieve these goals by holding congressional hearings on strategies to tackle obesity in healthcare programs, conducting congressional roundtable discussions on regional obesity and quantifying the economic impact of obesity in the United States.