Nutrition CARE Act of 2025
SB 1971, the Nutrition CARE Act of 2025, would amend the Social Security Act to add coverage under Medicare for medical nutrition therapy services for beneficiaries with eating disorders. The bill is aimed at Medicare Part B beneficiaries and would make eating disorders an explicit covered condition for nutrition therapy beginning January 1, 2026, using a definition tied to the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The bill also expands the Medicare medical nutrition therapy benefit to include services furnished for the management of eating disorders when provided by a registered dietitian or nutrition professional and referred by a physician or, where allowed by state law, a psychologist or other mental health professional. It sets minimum service amounts for eating-disorder-related nutrition therapy: 13 hours in the first year, including an initial assessment and reassessment/intervention time, and 4 hours in each subsequent year, while allowing the Secretary to impose additional reasonable limits.
In practical terms, the bill would change federal Medicare law by broadening the list of covered conditions and clarifying provider and referral requirements for nutrition therapy. It would affect Medicare beneficiaries with eating disorders, especially older adults, and could increase access to outpatient nutritional counseling as part of a more comprehensive treatment approach. The bill does not create a new standalone program; instead, it modifies existing Medicare coverage rules in title XVIII of the Social Security Act.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is supportive and treatment-oriented. The findings emphasize the prevalence, mortality, and cost of eating disorders, and specifically note that Medicare currently covers only part of the care needed. The bipartisan sponsorship by Senators Hassan, Murkowski, Klobuchar, and Capito also suggests broad cross-party interest in expanding access to care.
There is little recorded contention in the available materials because the bill has only been introduced and referred to committee, with no votes or committee debate provided. The main policy questions likely to arise are the cost to Medicare, how the Secretary defines eating disorders for coverage purposes, whether the service-hour minimums are sufficient or too restrictive, and how referrals from mental health professionals will work under varying state laws.
The bill would amend section 1861 of the Social Security Act to make medical nutrition therapy a covered Medicare benefit for individuals with eating disorders, effective beginning January 1, 2026. It would expand the existing Medicare medical nutrition therapy framework beyond diabetes to include eating disorders, specify eligible providers and referral sources, and establish minimum annual service hours, thereby affecting Medicare coverage rules, reimbursement, and access to outpatient nutrition counseling for affected beneficiaries.
The bill appears generally favorable and bipartisan in tone, with sponsors from both parties and findings emphasizing the seriousness, prevalence, and treatability of eating disorders. The legislative framing is strongly pro-access to care, and no recorded votes or committee objections are available in the provided materials. The absence of debate suggests the measure is still in an early stage of consideration.
No formal contention is documented in the available record, but likely areas of debate include Medicare spending, the scope of the new benefit, and administrative discretion given to the Secretary to define eating disorders and impose additional reasonable limits. Another possible point of discussion is the role of psychologists and other mental health professionals in referrals, particularly where state law varies, as well as whether the proposed 13-hour first-year and 4-hour annual follow-up minimums are adequate for clinical needs.