Can eating healthy lower medical costs? Pilot "food as medicine" projects seek to substantiate this claim.

You might soon see "food as medicine" in a health plan near you.

Medicaid programs that will expand access to healthful meals and possibly reduce healthcare expenses are being tested in more states.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) granted permission to Arkansas, Oregon, and Massachusetts last year to use a portion of their Medicaid funds to pay for food programs, including medically tailored meals, groceries, and produce prescriptions. Medicaid typically only covers medical expenses (fruit and vegetable prescriptions or vouchers provided by medical professionals for people with diet-related diseases or food insecurity). California already had a food program in place that was authorized by a different CMS. The objective is to determine whether feeding people nourishing foods may effectively prevent, manage, and treat diseases associated with diet.

At a hearing in December, Indiana Senator Mike Braun stated: "A lot of what ails our health care system is overutilization because we've never changed the lifestyles that drive us into the health care system in the first place, and that starts with your nutrition."

What exactly is "food as medicine"?

Massachusetts and California allow medical providers to refer needy patients to a local food aid group to ascertain their requirements, albeit alternative procedures will be examined. This can lead to grocery store gift cards, cooking classes, kitchenware, dietary advice, or a service that sends patients "medically customized meals." Patients are examined every three months in Massachusetts.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) allocated $59.4 million in November, a portion of which was used to fund so-called "produce prescriptions" from medical professionals for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Does food serve as medicine?

At a hearing in December, Dan Glickman, co-chair of the Task Force on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, stated: "The relationship between what we eat and how it affects our health and mortality is apparent.

According to a research released last year, if all Americans with mobility issues and diet-related illnesses received medically adapted meals, 1.6 million hospitalizations would be avoided, resulting in a net annual savings of $13.6 billion.

In comparison to a control group of patients who did not receive the meals, a 2019 study revealed that over the course of nearly a year, the meals led to 49% fewer inpatient admissions and a 16% decrease in health care expenses.