Sponsors (3)
The bill substantially expands Medicare coverage and provider access for medical nutrition therapy—improving care and potentially lowering downstream health costs and disparities—but increases Medicare spending, may strain the existing nutrition workforce, and leaves some conditions or patient groups excluded or uncertain until administratively added.
Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions (diabetes, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, malnutrition, cancer, GI diseases including Celiac, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, and related conditions) gain explicit Medicare coverage for medical nutrition therapy (MNT), increasing access to nutrition care.
Medicare beneficiaries—especially in areas with few physicians—gain improved access because physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and clinical psychologists (for eating disorders) can order MNT.
Medicare beneficiaries and health systems gain adaptable coverage because the HHS Secretary can add conditions or deem MNT medically necessary consistent with USPSTF and professional standards, allowing the program to respond to new evidence or unmet clinical needs.
Taxpayers and the Medicare program face higher costs because broader MNT coverage will increase Medicare spending (with projected cost pressure that could affect premiums or the trust fund).
Medicare beneficiaries may experience longer waits or limited availability of qualified nutrition professionals if workforce capacity is not expanded alongside the coverage expansion.
Medicare beneficiaries could face coverage uncertainty because payment is initially limited to listed conditions, meaning some medically appropriate nutrition services for other conditions might be denied until the Secretary adds them.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Expands Medicare Part B coverage of medical nutrition therapy to many more chronic conditions, broadens who can refer/order MNT, and excludes payment for non-covered uses.
Expands Medicare Part B coverage of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) beyond the current limits for diabetes and renal disease to include a wide set of chronic conditions (for prevention, management, or treatment). It also broadens which clinicians can refer or order MNT, and creates a payment exclusion for MNT furnished for conditions not on the new covered list. The effective date delays implementation until items and services are furnished in years beginning two years after enactment.
Introduced February 26, 2026 by Susan Margaret Collins · Last progress February 26, 2026