** High Priority **
NEWS FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE U.S. SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING
April 8, 2003
Contact: Jeff Schrade
202-224-8710
Chairman Craig asks colleagues to join him in passing the
Medicare Medical Nutrition Therapy Amendment Act
(Washington, DC) U.S. Senator Larry Craig, Chairman of the Senate
Special Committee on Aging, is asking his colleagues to remember
America's seniors and join him in sponsoring the 2003 Medicare Medical
Nutrition Therapy Amendment Act (S. 632) which would expand coverage of
nutrition therapy for those with heart disease.
"This is a good bill that will improve the lives of senior citizens,
improve their health, and reduce the overall medical costs paid for by
Medicare," Craig said.
Craig is sponsoring the bill along with Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-New
Mexico). The duo introduced the legislation in March and it now has
twelve Senate co-sponsors - Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), Saxby
Chambliss (R-Georgia), Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi), Susan Collins
(R-Maine), Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), Lindsey Graham (R-South
Carolina), Mary Landreiu (D-Louisiana), Blanche Lincoln (D- Arkansas),
Patty Murray (D-Washington), Jay Rockefeller (D-West Virginia), Paul
Sarbanes (D-Maryland) and John Warner (R-Virginia).
The Chairman of the Aging Committee noted that the Institute of
Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences studied the value of adding
medical nutrition therapy services to Medicare and has recommended
adding the benefit. The study found that adding medical nutrition
therapy will improve the quality of care seniors receive at a
comparatively low cost of treatment.
While the Institute of Medicine report said it would be difficult to
reliably estimate the budgetary impacts, the report found that such a
change in the law would be significant, saving Medicare hundreds of
millions of dollars. The report also found that those citizens who rely
on Medicare would enjoy "economically significant" savings through
reduced healthcare costs.
Congress has already approved providing Medicare coverage for medical
nutrition therapy services for those seniors with diabetes and renal
disease - coverage that has been in effect since January 1, 2002.
"By expanding preventive services we are starting to change how
Medicare helps beneficiaries think about their health care choices. I
believe the more we can do to prevent illness, the better off everyone
will be," Craig said.
To read the Institute of Medicine's report, "The Role of Nutrition in
Maintaining Health in the Nation's Elderly: Evaluating Coverage of
Nutrition Services for the Medicare Population," log on to:
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/9741.html
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Jeff Schrade, Communications Director for the Chairman
U.S. Senator Larry Craig, U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
Washington, DC 20510
Direct: 202-224-8710 Fax: 202-228-2258
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