After passing with overwhelming bipartisan approval in the Missouri House this month, the state Senate is poised to consider legislation that would provide healthy, locally grown food to Medicaid recipients with chronic diet-related illnesses.
Two “Food is Medicine” bills are under consideration. They would allow dietitians and other health care professionals to prescribe meals or groceries tailored to manage a patient’s disease as well as counseling on nutrition and how to develop healthy habits. The prescriptions would come in the form of vouchers that can be redeemed for fresh produce at local farmers markets, grocery stores or mobile markets.
“Food is Medicine “interventions are defined as a spectrum of programs and services that respond to the critical link between nutrition and health. The concept has been around for decades and has gained significant traction in the past four years.
At Operation Food Search, we have firsthand experience in how healing nutritious food can be through our own Food is Medicine efforts. We provide fresh produce, protein, dairy, and grains to food-insecure pregnant women through our Nourishing Healthy Starts program, and we have a partnership called Fresh Rx: Community Nutrition to provide similar services to homebound seniors with health issues like diabetes or hypertension.
Since 2023, Operation Food Search has provided boxes of healthy food, along with cooking classes and connections to community and medical resources, to 158 women throughout their pregnancies.
Results show significant improvements in maternal mental health and infant outcomes. Nearly 85% of their babies were born at a healthy birth weight, preventing medical complications for mothers as well as neonatal intensive care for infants. External analyses, by researchers who study maternal and infant health outcomes, suggest that scaling similar programs could generate meaningful cost savings for public health systems.
The “Food is Medicine” legislation in Missouri would require the Missouri Department of Social Services to apply for a federal Medicaid waiver (available since 2016) that would allow the state to test whether providing healthy food as part of Medicaid spending can reduce the need for more expensive medical treatment. It would be a time-limited study that must show results.
A growing body of evidence demonstrates that success is likely. Medically-tailored meals have been shown to reduce emergency room visits by 70%, hospital admissions by 52%, and skilled nursing home stays by 72%, according to research by the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School.
In Missouri – where heart disease is the leading cause of death, one in three adults is classified as obese, and more than 12% have diabetes – limited access to nutritious food is associated with $1 billion in avoidable health care costs each year. Healthy food could save us money otherwise spent on emergency care, hospital stays, and long-term complications from preventable disease, according to research by Feeding America.
Missouri could join a growing number of states with Medicaid agencies seeking waivers to fund nutrition-based interventions to prevent and manage chronic health conditions. Twelve states have already secured waivers, including Arkansas, Illinois, and Colorado, according to the health policy organization KFF.
“Food is Medicine” interventions can be effective strategies to combat the costly consequences of diet-related disease, especially if government agencies and community agencies collaborate effectively.
As Missouri’s largest independent food bank, Operation Food Search provides food and services to more than 200,000 individuals on a monthly basis through a network of more than 600 community partners in 24 Missouri and Illinois counties.
With funding for the Food is Medicine waiver tied to cost-effectiveness and accountability, Operation Food Search is prepared to provide boots-on-the-ground insights based on our experience of partnering with local farmers, health care providers, and pharmacies.
Our experience shows that when community organizations and health systems work together, Missouri families benefit from practical, evidence-based approaches that lead to long-term success.
Dining and Cooking