Perspective               

Nutrition Should Be Included as A Medicare Benefit

A new report by the Institute of Medicine finds that Medicare should cover nutrition counseling whenever a doctor recommends it. Adding the new benefit to Medicare would cost an estimated $1.4 billion for the first five years, but could help save money. It could also help save peoples' lives since it can prevent complications from common problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, according to the report. Almost one in nine older Americans have one of these three conditions, and dietary improvements can help manage and control many other diseases as well.

Now, Medicare covers the services of dieticians during hospital stays and sometimes afterwards, when a patient is recovering in a nursing home or getting home health care. The Institute of Medicine recommends that nutrition counseling also be covered as a preventive benefit, and estimates that Medicare could save as much as $167 million in five years if people with Medicare with high blood pressure got nutrition counseling.

Congress added additional preventive benefits to Medicare in 1997. Medicare now pays for prostate and colon cancer screenings, mammograms, pap smears, diabetes testing supplies, and other preventive services. Remember, these preventive services could help keep you healthy. Ask your doctor which ones you need.

For more information about the preventive services Medicare covers, call your State Health Insurance and Assistance Program, or SHIP. The number is listed in the back of the Medicare & You which was sent to people on Medicare. You can also get a copy by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. Or call your Senator or Congressperson. They should have staff who can help you

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