[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 111 (Thursday, August 11, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
        MEDICAL NUTRITION THERAPY NEEDED IN THE HEALTH CARE PLAN

  (Ms. SLAUGHTER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, medical nutrition therapy, when medically 
necessary or appropriate, is a service which saves money, improves 
patient outcomes and enhances the quality of life. It reduces the need 
for long-term drug therapies for many chronic illnesses, and reduces or 
prevents hospital stays and invasive medical procedures.
  Medical nutrition therapy is also important in maternal and child 
care. For example, I recently heard from the Genesee Dietetic 
Association in Rochester, NY, about a 34-year-old woman with poorly 
controlled diabetes. With just five visits to a registered dietitian, 
she was able to deliver a normal, healthy baby. The cost of medical 
nutrition therapy was $280; the medical costs without it might well 
have exceed $5,000.
  Mr. Speaker, as we seek to reform our health care system, we must not 
let medical nutrition therapy slip through the cracks.
  I urge my colleagues to support legislative language which provides 
coverage for medically necessary or appropriate health professional 
services, to allow an opportunity for reimbursement for medical 
nutrition therapy.

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