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Medical Nutrition Therapy Act

According to the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 90% of the nation's $3.5 trillion annual health care expenditures is spent on treating chronic and mental health conditions. Care for individuals with multiple chronic conditions is especially costly in the Medicare population, with more than two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries having multiple chronic conditions. Communities of color have historically faced chronic disease health disparities due to systemic inequalities that have manifested in reduced access to health care, healthy food and safe places to be active. The compounding impacts of systemic inequalities, food insecurity, reduced access to care and now COVID-19, underscore the need to provide equitable access to medical nutrition therapy in Medicare. MNT is an effective solution. MNT 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. Counseling provided by an RDN as part of a health care team can positively impact weight, blood pressure, blood lipids and blood sugar control.

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