II
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 604
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 11, 2005
Mr. Craig (for himself, Mr. Bingaman, Ms. Collins, Mr. Burr, Mr. Durbin, and Ms. Snowe) 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 authorize expansion of medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Act
of 2005
.
Authorizing expansion of medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy services
Authorizing expanded eligible population
Section 1861(s)(2)(V) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(s)(2)(V)) is amended—
by redesignating clauses (i) through (iii) as subclauses (I) through (III), respectively, and indenting each such clause an additional 2 ems;
by striking in the
case of a beneficiary with diabetes or a renal disease who—
and
inserting the following:
in the case of a beneficiary—
with diabetes or a renal disease who—
;
by adding or
at the end of subclause (III) of clause (i), as so designated; and
by adding at the end the following new clause:
who is not described in clause (i) but who has another disease, condition, or disorder for which the Secretary has made a national coverage determination (under section 1869(f)(1)(B)) for the coverage of such services;
.
Coverage of services furnished by physicians
Section 1861(vv)(1) of such
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(vv)(1)) is amended by inserting ,
physician,
after a registered dietician
.
National coverage determination process
In making a national coverage determination described in section 1861(s)(2)(V)(ii) of the Social Security Act, as added by subsection (a)(4), the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, shall—
consult with dietetic and nutrition professional organizations in determining appropriate protocols for coverage of medical nutrition therapy services for individuals with different diseases, conditions, and disorders; and
consider the degree to which medical nutrition therapy interventions prevent or help prevent the onset or progression of more serious diseases, conditions, or disorders.
Effective date
The amendments made by this section shall apply to services furnished on or after January 1, 2006.