NTFB Urges Texas Legislature to Support ‘Food is Medicine’ Bill
February 26 is ‘Food is Medicine” Advocacy Day in Austin and NTFB is calling for representatives to support neighbor health by passing HB 2946.
By Clarissa Clarke, NTFB Government Relations Officer
The Center for Disease Control suggests that food insecurity adds about $53 billion annually to health care costs in the U.S and up to $2 billion in Texas. Access to nutritious foods can help prevent health issues, chronic diseases and the associated health costs.
Research consistently indicates that nonclinical factors, such as where a person works or lives, contribute to as much as 80% of a person’s health outcomes. Those experiencing food insecurity are more likely to suffer from chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, which are often linked to a lack of access to nutritious foods.
That is why the North Texas Food Bank is joining the Feeding Texas network in calling for legislators to support HB 2946, known as the “Food is Medicine” bill. The Texas Legislature can authorize the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to pursue Medicaid financing for medically appropriate, cost effective and evidence-based solutions to address non-medical drivers of health. This could 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.
NTFB has launched a program, FoodRx, that could provide nutritious food through this provision. Through FoodRx, NTFB partners with medical clinics that are screening patients for food insecurity. Eligible neighbors are provided with shelf-stable food at their appointment to meet their immediate need. They can also be given a food prescription that grants them regular access to fresh produce and nutritious groceries from a partner pantry acting as a Food Pharmacy.
Local Good Center, NTFB’s first partner Food Pharmacy, also provides patients with access to preventative health programming that includes screenings, exercise programs, recipe demos and more offerings aimed at improving long-term health outcomes.
Having access to nutritious, affordable foods through this and other initiatives can help prevent and alleviate chronic health conditions for the nearly 664,000 North Texans facing hunger. HB2946 would ultimately lower state healthcare costs.
Health and food are fundamentally linked. Creating a healthy Texas requires a healthcare system that takes a holistic approach to treating patients and addresses health-related needs beyond just medicine.
Learn more about the importance of food as medicine here, and urge your representatives to support the “Food is Medicine” bill, HB 2946, here.