Public Policy News Updates

The MNT Act has been reintroduced in both Chambers of Congress!

S. 1536 and H.R. 3108 are the newest iterations of the MNT Act. In this session, members have combined previous acts to make a more comprehensive legislative initiative.

The MNT Act aims to do three things:

• 1. Expands MNT coverage to several additional diseases. Currently, a Medicare patient can be referred to a dietitian for MNT for diabetes, renal disease, and post-kidney transplant care. S.1536 & H.R.3108 expands the list of covered conditions considerably, and includes CVD, cancer, GI disorders, prediabetes, obesity, eating disorders, HTN, HIV/AIDS, high cholesterol, and malnutrition.
• 2. Gives the Secretary of Health the authority to include other diseases based on medical necessity. This means that in the future, if evidence warrants the addition of other diseases, the Secretary will be able to add it to the list without taking it to Congress. Currently, it takes a literal act of Congress to add coverage.
• 3. Authorizes nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, and psychologists to refer patients for MNT. Currently, only physicians can refer a patient for MNT. The addition of these care providers will make room for those who do not regularly see a physician to receive MNT.

If you would like more information on each piece of legislation, you can click on the bill numbers above. You can also track these bills on Congress.gov. and/or GovTrack.us. If you would like the Academy Member Brief on the MNT Act, please contact me at [email protected].

Also, consider participating in the Academy Action Alert regarding the MNT Act, as well as several others. You can access the action alerts in the eatrightPRO Action Center.

On the State level, AB73 has been signed by Governor Sisolak! This cleans up our licensure statute (NRS 640E) and also provides an avenue for provisional licensing for newly graduated dietetic interns. Thanks to Kara Freeman, our former State Policy Representative, for her work in getting this accomplished! Please see her piece in the newsletter below for more information.

Have a great June!
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Dawn Matusz, MS, NDTR
Public Policy Coordinator






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