S. 1971 — Nutrition CARE Act of 2025

This section sets forth congressional findings on eating disorders, including (1) their lifetime prevalence among 28,800,000 individuals (9% of the U.S. population), affecting an estimated 1,619,300 to 2,080,600 Medicare Part B beneficiaries (including 420,500 to 560,700 who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color); (2) 10,200 annual U.S. deaths (1 every 52 minutes), with the highest mortality rate among mental illnesses due to comorbidities and 23 times the expected suicide risk; (3) successful treatment via four pillars (medical, psychiatric, therapy, and medical nutrition therapy), which Medicare does not fully cover at outpatient, intensive outpatient, or residential levels; (4) $64.7 billion in annual economic costs ($23.5 billion borne by families and individuals), including $209.7 million for 23,560 inpatient hospitalizations and $29.3 million for 53,918 emergency room visits; and (5) heightened risks for the elderly due to comorbidities.

This section expands Medicare coverage of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) services—nutrition counseling currently furnished by registered dietitians or nutrition professionals for managing diabetes or kidney disease—to include beneficiaries with eating disorders (as defined by the Secretary using the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), effective January 1, 2026. It specifies that such services for eating disorder management must be pursuant to a referral from a physician or psychologist (or other mental health professional authorized under state law) and limits coverage to 13 hours in the first year (1-hour initial assessment plus 12 hours of reassessment and intervention) and 4 hours in each subsequent year (subject to additional reasonable limitations set by the Secretary).