How to Use Your Insurance Benefits for Nutrition Counseling
Making decisions around food and nutrition can feel like a full-time job sometimes. Not to mention if you’re also navigating pregnancy or trying to feed little ones! Feeding yourself and your family shouldn’t feel like a chore, but, unfortunately, the world we live in often makes it seem inevitable.
But imagine a scenario where you feel confident in your nutrition and the food that you provide for your family. No second-guessing. No late-night Googling. And definitely no guilt for how you choose to nourish your family.
Sounds too good to be true? With the support of a dietitian, it’s entirely possible! And, even better, you could get one-on-one support at no cost just by using your insurance benefits!
In this post, we’ll go through the difference between a nutritionist and dietitian (especially when it comes to insurance), how you can use your insurance benefits for nutrition counseling, and key steps for how to confirm your plan’s specific benefits.
What is Nutritional Counseling?
First, let’s chat about what the heck nutrition counseling is anyway. In a broad sense, nutrition counseling is personalized advice and treatment regarding the foods you eat (ie your diet). Another term you might see pop up is medical nutrition therapy (MNT). MNT is commonly used to either prevent or treat temporary and long-term health conditions or diseases. This often involves meeting with a provider to go over your specific concerns and creating goals and an actionable plan unique to you. When it comes to insurance, your plan benefits may cover the cost of either one-on-one (individual) nutrition counseling or group nutrition counseling.
Nutritionists vs Dietitians: What’s the Difference?
This isn’t just some cookie-cutter meal plan from that one nutritionist influencer you saw on social media. Working with a dietitian means you’re getting 7+ years of dedicated education and training (and that’s on top of however many years of experience they have!).
Registered dietitians (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) are required to complete a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, a year-long dietetic internship with 1200 hours of supervised practice, and pass a national registration exam. Some states may also require additional licensure to practice. Dietitians must also complete a minimum of 75 hours of continuing education within a five-year cycle to maintain their credentials.
Nutritionists, on the other hand, aren’t subject to any standardized education or licensing requirements. This means anyone could call themselves a nutritionist and there is no regulating body that enforces nutritionist qualifications. They may or may not have had any nutrition education, and, if they have, it’s typically less extensive and thorough than that required for a dietitian.
Insurance Coverage for Nutritionists vs Dietitians
Another significant difference between nutritionists and dietitians is the ability to take and bill insurance. Nutritionists cannot accept and bill insurance whereas dietitians have the ability to contract with insurance companies and bill for their services (similar to doctors and other healthcare providers). This means that working with a nutritionist typically requires paying 100% out of pocket, whereas many insurance-based dietitians cost little to nothing. And that’s for significantly more extensive education and thorough training!
It’s important to note that insurance coverage for dietitians will vary based on whether or not they accept insurance (some choose not to) and the insurance plans they contract with. It’s a good rule of thumb to check with any potential dietitian first to make sure they accept your insurance plan!
Here’s where you can find the insurance plans I accept in my practice!
How to Use Your Insurance Benefits for Nutrition Counseling
Check with the dietitian. Take a look at the dietitian’s website or send them a message asking what insurance plans they accept. If they accept your insurance company, move forward with confirming your plan’s specific benefits.
Verify plan benefits with your insurance provider. Call the number on the back of your insurance card and ask to speak to a representative about your plan benefits. Use this list of questions as a guide for talking with your insurance rep. It provides the specific nutrition codes that will be helpful in getting more detailed coverage information. You should be able to learn:
if nutrition counseling is covered as a preventative or medical benefit
whether or not there is a co-pay or cost-share for sessions (an amount you would be responsible for paying with each session)
how many sessions per year are covered under your plan
if telehealth is included as a covered benefit
Alternately, let me do all the legwork for you and fill out this quick form — I’ll check your plan’s benefits for you!
Cost-Saving Benefit of Insurance-Covered Nutrition Counseling
With the state of healthcare as it is, costs can add up fast. But using your insurance for nutrition counseling can be a savvy way to save money now and in the long run. Besides the immediate savings, there’s the bigger picture: preventing costly health problems down the road. Whether that’s through improving your relationship with food, optimizing nutrition during pregnancy to set both yourself and your baby up for long-term success, managing or preventing chronic disease, or helping your family to nourish their bodies in a way that feels easy and accessible. It’s probably one of the lowest cost investments in your health you can make with some incredibly long-term benefits.
Conclusion
If you’ve been considering working with a dietitian, but weren’t sure about the potential costs, checking your insurance benefits might be the game-changer you need. With most plans covering nutrition visits, there’s really no reason to not check it out - especially if you’re already feeling stressed about food and nutrition.
So take 10–15 minutes to call your insurance provider, or save even more time by filling out this quick form in under five minutes! I’ll get back to you within 1-3 business days with a summary of your nutrition benefits!
Don’t hesitate and finally take the leap today — your future self will thank you.
