Globally, poor diet is recognized as an important cause of death, disability, and utilization of healthcare facilities. This is worsened by inability to access heathy foods due to financial strain.
“Food is medicine” (FIM) is an intervention involving provision of free, healthy food to patients with diet-sensitive conditions (e.g., diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, etc.) and food insecurity through clinical care to improve nutrition and health among such patients. Such a program is implemented in several states in the USA under Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income individuals.
Medically tailored meals (MTM) delivered to Medicaid patients with diabetes, heart disease, depression, and other chronic conditions significantly reduced health emergencies and care costs, according to the first large statewide analysis published in Nature Medicine. In this study, Massachusetts Medicaid members who received dietitian-designed, home-delivered meals experienced 31% fewer hospitalizations and 20% fewer emergency department visits. Per-person healthcare costs declined by $3,433 over an average of six months on the program, offsetting 98% of meal delivery costs.
Researchers at Tufts University’s Food is Medicine Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, and Community Servings analyzed 2020–2023 Medicaid claims data across 11 healthcare systems, comparing 1,866 meal recipients with matched controls. Participants received 10 meals weekly plus snacks following dietitian consultations. The program achieved net cost savings for patients with heart disease, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and depression. Cost reductions appeared within months and increased with longer program participation. Notably, primary care visits were not reduced.
With at least a dozen states already piloting similar Medicaid nutrition programs, these findings provide compelling evidence to accelerate nationwide adoption. As healthcare systems increasingly recognize the critical role of nutrition in chronic disease management, MTM represent a scalable, evidence-based intervention that can transform patient outcomes while reducing the economic burden on state and federal healthcare budgets.
Source: Hager K, Alcusky M, Zhang FF, Sing G, Ash A, Mick E, Terranova J, DiBacco E, Buckler S, Rich A, Bowman J, Folta S, Prendergast K, Frank J, Ball C, Chiang JS, Mozaffarian D. Medically tailored meals receipt and healthcare utilization and costs in Massachusetts’ Medicaid demonstration. Nat Med. 2026 32(6):2147-54.)