Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2026

Expanded Disease Coverage: The bill expands the list of covered conditions to include diabetes, prediabetes, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, malnutrition, eating disorders, cancer, gastrointestinal diseases (including Celiac disease), HIV, AIDS, and cardiovascular disease (Section 3(a)(2)(A)). This could benefit people dealing with these specific conditions by providing access to medical nutrition therapy.

Broader Provider Options: The bill allows services to be furnished by a variety of professionals, including physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and clinical psychologists for eating disorders (Section 3(a)(2)(A)(ii)). This expands the pool of people who can provide these services to patients.

Flexibility for Other Conditions: The bill allows for the Secretary to determine that services are medically necessary for other conditions, such as those relating to unintentional weight loss (Section 3(a)(2)(B)(4)(N)). This could provide benefits to individuals with specific medical needs not explicitly listed.

Delayed Implementation: The amendments to the law will not apply to items and services furnished until two years after the date the Act is enacted (Section 3(c)). This means the expanded benefits will not be available to people immediately.

Exclusion for Dialysis Patients: The bill specifies that medical nutrition therapy terms shall not include services furnished for the prevention, management, or treatment of a renal disease if the individual is receiving maintenance dialysis for which payment is made under section 1881 (Section 3(a)(2)(A)(iii)).