Lawmakers Can Prioritize Health by Advancing “Food Is Medicine” Solutions
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For Immediate Release: 02/16/25
Contact: Wesley Story
House bill 2946 is needed to help make Texans healthy again.
TEXAS – The Feeding Texas network of food banks and more than 80 organizations in the Texas Food Policy Roundtable urge lawmakers to pass HB 2946. The “Food is Medicine” bill – filed last week by Texas Rep. Tom Oliverson – would allow for Medicaid reimbursements to cover nutrition support services.
Research indicates that nonclinical factors, such as where a person lives, works, and plays, contribute to as much as 80 percent of a person’s health outcomes. Food insecurity is a key driver of health, and as a result, a driver of higher health care costs. The Center for Disease Control suggests that food insecurity adds about $53 billion annually to health care costs in the U.S.
“Nutrition and health are deeply connected,” said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, the state association of food banks. “Food insecurity is associated with higher rates of chronic and diet-related diseases and when someone is sick, having to choose between food and treatment can lead to serious complications. Understanding this connection is crucial for developing comprehensive strategies to improve both food security and health care outcomes in our state. Access to healthy and nutritious foods can help to prevent health issues, manage chronic diseases, and lower the associated health costs.”
Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB 1575 into law in June 2023. The bill recognizes that non-medical factors impact health outcomes and requires that pregnant Medicaid beneficiaries be screened for non-medical needs. It also offers case management services to connect those beneficiaries with non-medical resources in the community. In response to the new law, Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) in Texas began using screening questions developed by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to assess the non-medical needs of their pregnant patients.
“In the 2023 legislative session, Texas lawmakers recognized the importance of addressing non-medical drivers of health and took action to improve health outcomes for pregnant patients,” Cole said. “HB 1575 was a promising step in the right direction. With high-risk pregnant Texans now screened for food insecurity, we believe the next step is ensuring that the food and nutrition services resulting from these referrals are also covered by Medicaid.”
In addition to following recent statewide actions, HB 2946 aligns with national, bipartisan efforts to invest in “food as medicine” solutions in the Medicaid program.
The Feeding Texas network and the Texas Food Policy Roundtable call on lawmakers to authorize the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to pursue Medicaid financing for medically appropriate, cost effective, evidence-based solutions to address non-medical drivers of health. In HB 2946, this would be accomplished via “in-lieu of services” (ILOS). ILOS is a provision that can be added to Medicaid contracts that allow MCOs to substitute Health-Related Social Needs (HRSNs) for traditional medical care.
“Health and food are fundamentally linked,” Cole said. “Creating a healthy Texas requires a healthcare system that takes a holistic approach to treating patients and addresses health-related needs beyond just medicine. A streamlined Medicaid reimbursement model that integrates nutrition support services into our healthcare system would enable doctors to prescribe healthy food and improve health outcomes for Texans. This would increase access to healthy foods for patients, scale existing infrastructure, and significantly lower healthcare costs over time.”
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Feeding Texas is a network of 20 food banks and leads a unified effort for a hunger-free Texas. Learn more and find your local food bank at feedingtexas.org.
