Sponsors (19)
The bill expands and clarifies Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy to improve chronic disease care and reduce disparities for beneficiaries, but it raises near-term federal costs and creates implementation and coverage-definition challenges that may limit clinical flexibility.
Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes, obesity, renal disease, cancer, Celiac) will gain broader access to medically necessary medical nutrition therapy (MNT), expanding covered clinical services and directly improving disease management and prevention.
More qualified clinicians (physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and clinical psychologists for eating disorders) will be authorized to furnish MNT, increasing provider availability and care capacity for Medicare patients.
Expanding MNT coverage could reduce health disparities by improving access to effective nutrition care for racial and ethnic minority patients who have higher rates of chronic disease.
Taxpayers and Medicare beneficiaries could face higher near-term federal spending, increased Medicare program costs, and potential upward pressure on premiums or the Part B budget due to expanded MNT coverage.
Narrowing covered MNT to a specified list of conditions may leave patients with clinically appropriate needs for other conditions without coverage, limiting clinical discretion and access for some beneficiaries.
Adding new provider types and expanding coverage raises implementation, billing, supervision, and credentialing complexities that could lead to inconsistent utilization, billing disputes, and administrative burdens for providers, hospitals, and CMS during rollout.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Expands Medicare Part B coverage of medical nutrition therapy to cover MNT for a broader list of conditions, defines eligible clinicians, and excludes payment for non-covered MNT.
Expands Medicare Part B coverage of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) to allow MNT for a broader set of diseases and conditions (including diabetes, prediabetes, renal disease, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, malnutrition, eating disorders, cancer, gastrointestinal diseases including Celiac disease, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions the Secretary specifies). It also defines MNT as services furnished for the prevention, management, or treatment of those specified conditions, identifies which types of clinicians may furnish MNT (physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and clinical psychologists for eating disorder care), and creates a payment exclusion for MNT services that are not furnished for those specified conditions. The changes take effect for items and services furnished beginning two years after enactment.
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Robin L. Kelly · Last progress November 20, 2025