Medically Tailored Meals Pilot

Summary#

This bill would create a 6-year Medicare pilot called the Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program. The Secretary of Health and Human Services must select at least 40 eligible hospitals by June 30, 2027, to provide medically tailored meals and medical nutrition therapy to certain high-risk Medicare Part A beneficiaries. Hospitals must screen inpatients at discharge with validated tools, rescreen every 12 weeks, and supply at least 2 tailored meals per day that meet two-thirds of daily nutritional needs for at least 12 weeks. Medical nutrition therapy must be provided for at least 12 weeks and up to one year. Selected hospitals must meet staffing and program integrity rules and submit data for evaluation. The Secretary will run intermediate and final evaluations and report results to Congress.

What it means for you#

  • If you are a Medicare Part A beneficiary, you may be eligible if you have a diet-impacted disease (examples in the bill: kidney disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, COPD), live at home, are limited in at least two activities of daily living, are not in hospice or extended care, and are not getting similar benefits from other programs.
  • Eligible patients would get home-delivered, diet-specific meals and medical nutrition therapy without deductibles, copays, or coinsurance under this pilot.
  • Hospitals will screen patients as part of discharge planning and recheck eligibility every 12 weeks while the hospital is in the pilot.

Expenses#

  • Payments for the pilot and administration come from the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund (the Medicare Part A trust). The Secretary sets how hospitals are paid and will consider payments from other payers.
  • The bill requires budget neutrality: payments to hospitals under section 1886(d) would be reduced so total reductions equal the pilot payments in a year.
  • The Secretary must collect information on whether payments to hospitals cover their costs. No specific dollar amounts are in the bill.

Proponents' View#

The bill’s text states the program is intended to test whether providing medically tailored home-delivered meals and medical nutrition therapy to high-risk inpatients can improve clinical health outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions. Supporters argue the pilot will produce evidence through intermediate and final evaluations to inform future decisions.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.