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91_HB1835
LRB9103347DJcd
1 AN ACT to amend the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois
2 by adding Section 55.91.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is
6 amended by adding Section 55.91 as follows:
7 (20 ILCS 2310/55.91 new)
8 Sec. 55.91. Obesity study.
9 (a) The General Assembly finds as follows:
10 (1) A causal relationship exists between obesity and
11 a number of serious disorders, including hypertension,
12 dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, diabetes (type
13 two), gallbladder disease, respiratory dysfunction, gout,
14 and osteoarthritis.
15 (2) The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
16 and Kidney Diseases has provided information which
17 indicates that nearly 80% of patients with diabetes
18 mellitus are obese and the incidence of symptomatic
19 gallstones soars as a person's body mass index increases
20 beyond a certain level.
21 (3) The information also reveals that nearly 70% of
22 diagnosed cases of cardiovascular disease are related to
23 obesity; obesity more than doubles a person's chances of
24 developing high blood pressure; almost half of breast
25 cancer cases are diagnosed among obese women; and 42% of
26 colon cancer cases are among obese individuals.
27 (4) Obesity ranks second only to smoking as a
28 preventable cause of death and results in some 300,000
29 deaths annually.
30 (5) It is estimated that 35% of the adult population
31 is obese and the prevalence of obesity grew a shocking
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1 34% during the past 10 years.
2 (6) A 1997 study by Kaiser Permanente indicated that
3 the total direct costs of obesity-related diseases in the
4 United States in 1990 was $45.8 billion; the Kaiser study
5 concluded that there is a significant potential for a
6 reduction in health care expenditures through obesity
7 prevention efforts.
8 (7) There is an urgent need for state health care
9 groups and medical societies to place obesity at the top
10 of Illinois' health care agenda.
11 (8) Many physicians do not treat obesity because
12 they mistakenly believe there is no treatment for it.
13 (9) The National Institute of Health, the American
14 Society for Bariatric Surgery, and the American Obesity
15 Association recommend that patients who are morbidly
16 obese receive responsible, affordable medical treatment
17 for their obesity.
18 (10) The diagnosis of morbid obesity should be a
19 clinical decision made by a physician based on proper
20 medical protocols.
21 (11) The recent breakthroughs in drug therapy can
22 treat obesity successfully and the New England Journal of
23 Medicine recently emphasized the legitimate use of
24 pharmacotherapy as a component of treatment of medically
25 significant obesity.
26 (12) The new breakthroughs in obesity treatment are
27 not widely known and efforts must be made to inform the
28 general public and health care professionals that
29 pharmacotherapy can be used as an effective and
30 cost-effective treatment for obesity.
31 (13) There is also great concern regarding what
32 effect obesity in children may have on overall health in
33 children, health care costs for children, and treatment
34 modalities to address the problem of obesity in children.
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1 (14) The study by the Department of Public Health as
2 provided in this Section is critical to raise the
3 awareness of the public and private sectors that obesity
4 is a disease of epidemic proportions that is treatable
5 and that proper treatment will reduce health care costs
6 and improve the quality of life for a large number of our
7 citizens.
8 (b) The Department of Public Health shall study the
9 effect of obesity, in both adults and children, on costly
10 health complications such as diabetes, hypertension, heart
11 disease, and stroke and shall make recommendations for
12 improving public and private sector awareness of the problem
13 of obesity and suggested treatment modalities. The
14 Department shall report the findings of the study and the
15 recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly
16 within 6 months after the effective date of this amendatory
17 Act of the 91st General Assembly.
18 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
19 becoming law.