By Mary Clymer, SWHR Public Affairs Intern
On July 1, 2025, the National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) hosted a Capitol Hill briefing about some of the key health care issues impacting Hispanic Americans. Among the topics discussed during the briefing were obesity, step therapy (an insurance policy that requires patients to try lower-cost treatments before covering more expensive ones), and the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
Before introducing the panelists, Cindy Padilla, former chairwoman of NHCOA’s Board of Directors, opened the event by reading a statement from Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), a key sponsor of the reintroduction of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA).
“Addressing obesity isn’t just a health issue, but also an equity issue,” said Senator Luján. Through the reintroduction of TROA, the senator hopes to save lives, prevent chronic disease, and promote equitable health care.
The first panelist, Ray Serrano, PhD, MPH Director of Research and Policy at the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), provided an update on the obesity epidemic in the United States and emphasized the importance of passing TROA.
Dr. Serrano’s presentation highlighted that Latino and Black adults make up nearly 42% of people living with obesity. He argued that many underlying factors contribute to obesity in the Latino population including genetic predisposition, socioeconomic status, disparities in health care, and language barriers.
Continuing, Dr. Serrano expressed his concerns about how the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act will impact access and insurance coverage of glucagon-like peptide-1s (GLP-1s), a promising form of obesity pharmacotherapy, given its provisions impacting Medicare. In many cases, GLP-1s are not covered fully by insurance, he said, contributing to the rise of unregulated counterfeit and compounded drugs that pose severe health risks to people seeking essential treatment for obesity. Acknowledging the importance of the full range of obesity treatments, Dr. Serrano advocated for the reintroduction of TROA, a bill that allows Medicare coverage of FDA-approved anti-obesity medication and nutritional counseling. Dr. Serrano emphasized the importance of safe and legal GLP-1 access by emphasizing three priorities:
- Strengthening FDA enforcement of GLP-1 medication coverage
- Creating a national education campaign that focuses on providing resources for vulnerable populations
- Increasing state-level inspections of pharmacies and compounders advertising GLP-1s online or through social media.
The next panelist, Amy Hinojosa, National President and CEO of MANA, a National Latina Organization, discussed the impact of step therapy on individuals managing chronic diseases, such as obesity. Hinojosa shared that the process of going through lower cost drugs and “failing them first” before the insurance company approves coverage of the original prescribed medication is only prolonging the patient’s treatment, increasing the risk of dangerous side effects, and wasting medication. For individuals living with obesity, having delayed access to treatment can risk worsening the disease’s critical health impacts.
Hinojosa noted that 3 in 4 Latinos rely on social security for retirement income and being on a fixed income does not allow people access to essential medications. Hinojosa stressed the importance of reform and noted the step therapy process can be further delayed because of varying insurance policies She believes that it is important to challenge step therapy by creating a basic framework for when it’s appropriate to exempt patients from step therapy, therein supporting their ability to receive timely care.
Finally, Executive Director of ASAP 340B, Thomas Johnson, shared his concerns about ensuring the viability of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, an initiative that was created to help low-income and other vulnerable patients get access to prescription medications. He explained that these benefits are often not getting to patients as intended and instead, expressed his belief that the program is being abused for profit. For example, Johnson debated that 340B is not working for cancer patients, despite cancer being the leading cause of death for the Black and Latino populations. The purpose of the 340B program is to serve vulnerable populations, including those living with obesity, ensuring that Americans have access to resources and services for management of this chronic disease.
Johnson concluded by sharing ASAP 340B’s three goals for transforming the 340B program: lowering drug costs for vulnerable populations, preventing abuse by middlemen, and improving transparency about where benefits are going.
The briefing ended with a message from President and CEO of NHCOA, Yanira Cruz, DrPH, MPH who encouraged the audience to keep advocating for health care reform and changes in policy related to obesity.
Learn more about NHCOA’s work on obesity here. Learn more about SWHR’s work on obesity here.