Bill Summary
The Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2020 is a bill that seeks to amend the Social Security Act in order to expand the availability of medical nutrition therapy services under the Medicare program. This bill would add new conditions and diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, cancer, and HIV, to the list of those for which medical nutrition therapy services would be covered. It would also allow for these services to be provided by physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists, as well as clinical psychologists for the treatment of eating disorders. Additionally, the bill would exclude medical nutrition therapy services that are not related to the prevention, management, or treatment of a disease or condition specified in the act. These changes would go into effect on January 1, 2021.
Possible Impacts
1. The "Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2020" could expand access to nutrition services for individuals with certain diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and malnutrition. This could benefit people by providing them with necessary support and resources to manage their health.
2. The inclusion of eating disorders as a specified condition for medical nutrition therapy services could help individuals struggling with these disorders receive the necessary treatment and support. This could potentially improve their overall health and well-being.
3. The effective date of January 1, 2021 could affect people who are currently receiving medical nutrition therapy services through Medicare. They may need to adjust their treatment plans or find alternative sources of support if their services are no longer covered under the new legislation.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4504 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4504
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the
availability of medical nutrition therapy services under the Medicare
program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 6, 2020
Ms. Collins (for herself and Mr. Peters) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the
availability of medical nutrition therapy services under the Medicare
program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of
2020''.
SEC. 2. EXPANDING THE AVAILABILITY OF MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY
SERVICES UNDER THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Section 1861 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
1395x) is amended--
(1) in subsection (s)(2)(V), by striking ``in the case of''
and all that follows through ``organizations''; and
(2) in subsection (vv)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking ``disease management'' and
inserting ``the prevention, management, or
treatment of a disease or condition specified
in paragraph (4)'';
(ii) by inserting ``or by a physician
assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical
nurse specialist (as such terms are defined in
subsection (aa)(5)), or, in the case of such
services furnished to manage such a disease or
condition that is an eating disorder, by a
clinical psychologist (as defined by the
Secretary)'' before the period at the end; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following
new sentence: ``Such term shall not include any
such services furnished to an individual for
the prevention, management, or treatment of a
renal disease if such individual is receiving
maintenance dialysis for which payment is made
under section 1881.''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(4) For purposes of paragraph (1), the diseases and conditions
specified in this paragraph are the following:
``(A) Diabetes and prediabetes.
``(B) A renal disease.
``(C) Obesity (as defined for purposes of subsection
(yy)(2)(C) or as otherwise defined by the Secretary).
``(D) Hypertension.
``(E) Dyslipidemia.
``(F) Malnutrition.
``(G) Eating disorders.
``(H) Cancer.
``(I) Celiac disease.
``(J) HIV.
``(K) AIDS.
``(L) Any other disease or condition--
``(i) specified by the Secretary relating to
unintentional weight loss;
``(ii) for which the Secretary determines the
services described in paragraph (1) to be medically
necessary and appropriate for the prevention,
management, or treatment of such disease or condition,
consistent with any applicable recommendations of the
United States Preventive Services Task Force; or
``(iii) for which the Secretary determines the
services described in paragraph (1) are medically
necessary, consistent with either protocols established
by registered dietitians or nutrition professional
organizations or with accepted clinical guidelines
identified by the Secretary.''.
(b) Exclusion Modification.--Section 1862(a)(1) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (O), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (P), by striking the semicolon at the
end and inserting ``, and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(Q) in the case of medical nutrition therapy services (as
defined in section 1861(vv)), which are not furnished for the
prevention, management, or treatment of a disease or condition
specified in paragraph (4) of such section;''.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply with respect to items and services furnished on or after January
1, 2021.
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