Medically Tailored Meals Are Saving Costs in 49 States

FRIDAY, April 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Medically tailored meals (MTMs) are net cost-saving in the first year in 49 states, assuming full uptake among eligible patients with diet-related diseases and limitations in activities of daily living, according to a study published in the April issue of Health Affairs.

Using a population-based, open-cohort simulation model, Shuyue Deng, from Tufts University in Boston, and colleagues estimated state-specific one-year and five-year changes in annual hospitalizations, health care spending, and cost-effectiveness of MTMs for patients with diet-related diseases and limitations in activities of daily living who were covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance.

The researchers found that MTMs were net cost-saving in the first year in 49 states assuming full uptake among eligible people, with the largest savings seen in Connecticut ($6,299 per patient). Alabama was the exception, where MTMs were cost-neutral. To avert one hospitalization, the number of treated patients varied from 2.3 in Maryland to 6.9 in Colorado.

“The most striking finding is that medically tailored meals, assuming full uptake by eligible individuals, were cost-saving in 49 of 50 states, highlighting their potential to reduce both financial and health burdens,” Deng said in a statement. “These results emphasize the potential for policymakers to integrate medically tailored meals into health care coverage at scale.”

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