This bill would add coverage in Medicare for medical nutrition therapy services for people with eating disorders. It changes part of the Social Security Act (section 1861) to name eating disorders as a condition eligible for this service, defines eating disorder by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (as set by the Secretary), and sets who can provide and refer for these services.
The bill says services must be furnished by a registered dietitian or "nutrition professional." Referrals must come from a physician or a psychologist (or another mental health professional when state law allows). For eating disorder care, the bill specifies at least 13 hours of services in the first year (a 1-hour initial assessment plus 12 hours of reassessment and intervention) and 4 hours in each subsequent year, starting January 1, 2026. The Secretary of Health and Human Services may apply other reasonable limits for later years.
If you are a Medicare Part B beneficiary diagnosed with an eating disorder, this bill would let you receive covered medical nutrition therapy provided by a registered dietitian or nutrition professional when referred by an authorized clinician. The first year would include up to 13 hours of covered nutrition therapy and 4 hours in later years, subject to any limits the Secretary sets.
No publicly available information about projected federal costs or savings for this bill. The bill's findings include background numbers about eating disorders: an estimated 28,800,000 people (9% of the population) will have an eating disorder in their lifetime; an estimated 1,619,300 to 2,080,600 Medicare Part B beneficiaries may be affected, including 420,500 to 560,700 beneficiaries who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. The findings also state 10,200 deaths per year from eating disorders, an annual national economic cost of $64,700,000,000, family/individual economic loss of $23,500,000,000 per year, 23,560 inpatient hospitalizations costing $209,700,000, and 53,918 emergency visits costing $29,300,000.
The bill's findings state that eating disorders are common and can be deadly, that successful treatment often includes medical nutrition therapy alongside medical, psychiatric, and therapy care, and that Medicare does not currently cover outpatient medical nutrition therapy or intensive outpatient and residential nutrition care. Proponents, as reflected in the findings, argue that adding this coverage will help provide complete treatment for beneficiaries with eating disorders and address increased risk in older adults.
No publicly available information about opposition or objections in the bill text or metadata.