Insurance-covered dietitian and nutritionist visits
Many health plans cover visits with a registered dietitian, usually as medical nutrition therapy, and many of my patients pay $0 when their plan covers it. Whether you will depends on your plan: how many visits it allows, which diagnoses qualify, and whether a deductible applies. Fay Nutrition checks your benefits before you book, so you know the cost in advance.
Quick answers
Does insurance cover a dietitian?
Often, yes. Many commercial health plans cover medical nutrition therapy from a registered dietitian, sometimes with no copay, but the number of visits, the qualifying diagnoses and cost-sharing vary by plan. The only reliable answer for you comes from checking your own benefits.
Is a nutritionist covered by insurance?
Plans generally cover nutrition care from credentialed, licensed providers such as registered dietitians, and are much less likely to cover an uncredentialed nutritionist. I'm a registered dietitian nutritionist (RD), which is the credential plans recognise.
Can I see a dietitian for $0 with insurance?
Many patients do, when their plan covers medical nutrition therapy with no copay and no unmet deductible. Not every plan works that way, so check first: Fay Nutrition checks your benefits before you book and tells you what you will pay.
Does Medicare cover a dietitian?
Medicare Part B covers medical nutrition therapy from a registered dietitian for people with diabetes or chronic kidney disease, and after a kidney transplant, when a physician refers them. Medicare is not on the plan list shown on my Fay profile, so please confirm with Fay before booking under Medicare.
Does insurance cover an RD online, by telehealth?
Many plans cover telehealth nutrition visits in the same way as in-person ones, though not all. I see insured patients by telehealth in 18 states through Fay, which confirms telehealth coverage as part of the benefits check.
Which plans commonly cover dietitian visits
- Commercial and employer plans. Many cover medical nutrition therapy, often for conditions such as diabetes, prediabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, digestive disorders and kidney disease. Some cover nutrition counselling more broadly.
- Preventive care under the Affordable Care Act. Most non-grandfathered private plans must cover certain preventive services without cost-sharing, including diet and obesity counselling for some adults who meet the criteria. How a plan applies that to dietitian visits, and how many it covers, varies.
- Medicare. Part B covers medical nutrition therapy for diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and after a kidney transplant, with a physician's referral. Medicare Advantage plans may cover more.
- Medicaid. Coverage of dietitian visits differs from state to state.
None of that guarantees your plan covers your visit. Check your own plan.
Plans I work with through Fay
Plans on my Fay profile include Aetna, Anthem, Blue Care Network, Blue Cross, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Blue Shield, CareFirst, Cigna, Empire, Golden Rule, Highmark, Horizon, Independence Blue Cross, Optum, Oxford, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare and UMR. Which apply depends on your state; each state page lists the regional plans there.
Questions to ask your plan
- Is medical nutrition therapy with a registered dietitian covered?
- How many visits a year, and for which diagnoses?
- Is there a copay, coinsurance or deductible for these visits?
- Do I need a referral from my doctor?
- Are telehealth visits covered the same way?
Booking through Fay answers these for you before the first appointment.
If insurance won't cover it
You can book a self-pay video visit for $140 through CognitiveMind: the same care, no benefits check, no prior authorization, and no denial arriving later. With a high deductible you are unlikely to meet this year, that is often the more predictable option.
Regional plans by state
Alongside national carriers, these are the regional plans on my Fay profile in each state I'm licensed in.
- Dietitian in Arizona: Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Dietitian in California: Blue Shield, Anthem
- Dietitian in Colorado: Anthem
- Dietitian in Connecticut: Anthem, Oxford
- Dietitian in Hawaii: Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Dietitian in Illinois: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
- Dietitian in Indiana: Anthem
- Dietitian in Massachusetts: Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Dietitian in Michigan: Blue Care Network, Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Dietitian in New Jersey: Horizon, Oxford
- Dietitian in New York: Empire, Oxford
- Dietitian in Oklahoma: Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Dietitian in Oregon: Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Dietitian in Pennsylvania: Highmark, Independence Blue Cross
- Dietitian in Texas: Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Dietitian in Virginia: Anthem, CareFirst
- Dietitian in Washington: Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Dietitian in Wisconsin: Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield
What patients say
"Dr. Kushal has been more than I could have asked for! Her knowledge is remarkable. From the 1st visit she gave me guidance on getting to the bottom of long-standing issues. She has also helped my adult son. Insurance pays for it! I'm very grateful."
Reviews are individual patients' experiences in their own words. Results vary from person to person and are not guaranteed. All 57 written reviews and the dated Fay rating.
Booking, and what it costs
Two routes, and which one is cheaper depends entirely on your plan rather than on which sounds better.
Through insurance. Medical nutrition therapy is a covered benefit on many plans, sometimes with no copay at all. Booking runs through Fay Nutrition, which checks your benefits before the first appointment so you know the number in advance rather than six weeks later.
Self-pay. A flat $140 per session through CognitiveMind — no benefits check, no prior authorization, no denial arriving after the fact. If your coverage is thin, absent, or has a deductible you will not meet this year, this is often the more predictable of the two.
Telehealth, in any of the 18 states where the licence is active.
Common questions
What is medical nutrition therapy?
Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) is nutrition care from a registered dietitian for a specific medical condition: an assessment, a plan, and follow-up visits. It is the name most insurers and Medicare use for dietitian visits.
Do I need a referral to see a dietitian with insurance?
Usually not for commercial plans, though some require one. Medicare does. The benefits check flags it before you book.
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