Wisconsin man had hand in new eating disorders law

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BURLINGTON, Wis. (AP) — An eating disorders bill that was championed by a Burlington man has been signed into law.

Nathan Libbey contacted the Eating Disorders Coalition and traveled to Washington to lobby legislators after his wife, Jennifer Libbey, died in August 2014, The Journal Times reported. She suffered from bulimia.

“Jennifer and I frequently discussed the power her voice would have once she defeated her eating disorder,” Libbey said.

The measure, co-sponsored by Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, improves health insurance coverage for eating disorders and residential treatment, provides resources for training of health professionals and provides education and prevention help for the public.

“I have heard from far too many Wisconsin families like the Libbeys who have struggled to find the quality eating disorder care and treatment that they need,” U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin said in a statement to the newspaper.

The legislation — called the Anna Westin Act, which is named after a Minnesota woman who struggled with anorexia and killed herself when she was 21 — is part of the 21st Century Cures and Mental Health Reform Act. The $6.3 billion package that President Barack Obama signed Tuesday included a cancer research “moonshot.”