Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) Over two-thirds of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries have 2 or more chronic conditions, many of which can be prevented, delayed, treated, or managed through nutrition. (2) Individuals from many racial and ethnic minority backgrounds are more likely to be diagnosed with chronic diseases such as diabetes, prediabetes, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease, and obesity. (3) Coverage for medical nutrition therapy is only available to Medicare Part B beneficiaries with diabetes or a renal disease, despite medical nutrition therapy being part of the standard of care, in clinical guidelines, and medically necessary for many more chronic conditions. (4) Medical nutrition therapy has been shown to be a cost-effective component of treatment for obesity, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, HIV infection, unintended weight loss in older adults, and other chronic conditions.