S3297-118

What This Bill Does

The Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2023 expands Medicare coverage for medical nutrition therapy (MNT) services. Currently, Medicare Part B only covers nutrition counseling for beneficiaries with diabetes or kidney disease. This bill would extend that coverage to include a wide range of chronic conditions including obesity, hypertension, cancer, heart disease, eating disorders, HIV/AIDS, and others. It also allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to add additional conditions in the future.

Who Benefits and How

Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions would gain access to covered nutrition counseling services. Currently, those with conditions like obesity, heart disease, or eating disorders must pay out-of-pocket for nutritional guidance that could help manage their conditions. The bill specifically notes that over two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries have two or more chronic conditions that could benefit from nutrition therapy.

Registered dietitians and nutrition professionals would see an expanded patient base, as Medicare would now reimburse for their services across a broader range of conditions.

Healthcare providers including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists gain the ability to order these services for more conditions. Clinical psychologists can also order services specifically for eating disorders.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would bear increased costs from covering nutrition therapy for additional conditions. The program would need to pay for services that were previously not covered.

Medicare (and by extension, taxpayers) would see increased program spending, though the bill's findings suggest medical nutrition therapy is a cost-effective treatment that may reduce long-term healthcare costs.

Key Provisions

• Expands Medicare coverage for medical nutrition therapy from just diabetes and kidney disease to include 13+ specified conditions (obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, malnutrition, eating disorders, cancer, GI diseases, HIV, AIDS, cardiovascular disease, and others)
• Gives the HHS Secretary authority to add additional covered conditions in the future based on medical necessity
• Expands who can order these services to include physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists (not just physicians)
• Allows clinical psychologists to order services specifically for eating disorder patients
• Implementation begins 2 years after enactment