Several states experiment with putting Medicaid funds toward food
When Medicaid came into existence in 1965, it was meant to help people on limited incomes pay for health care. Now, what's considered health care may be evolving to include food.
A handful of states have received waivers from the federal government allowing them to use Medicaid funding to help pay for things like groceries or nutrition counseling. In a way, some doctors are following the phrase "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" by actually prescribing apples.
But Seligman studies food as a form of medical intervention and said what we eat can be just as important as medication. Now, several states are piloting the use of Medicaid funds for things like medically tailored meals.
"These are health-related social needs," said
Some people say that is not Medicaid's job and that programs like SNAP already exist to meet this need.
"This is something outside the scope of Medicaid," said
Some states are also experimenting with using Medicaid funds to help people get access to other necessities like housing.
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