DC Greens leads the District’s Produce Prescription Program, which provides individuals and families across D.C. with stipends for fresh produce purchases
Washington, D.C., June 14, 2023 – Today DC Greens, in partnership with the Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation (CHLPI) of Harvard Law School, released “Mainstreaming Produce Prescriptions in Medicaid Managed Care: A Policy Toolkit and Resource Library.” This toolkit, the third in a series of Food Is Medicine (FIM) analyses, focuses on opportunities to increase access to produce prescriptions (PRx) within Medicaid Managed Care (MMC) systems.
“Medicaid managed care can be complex,” stated DC Greens Health Policy Consultant Kristin Sukys. “MMC programs are governed by layers of decision-making at the federal, state, and health plan levels. While this layering creates the opportunity for flexibility, it can also result in a level of complexity that can scare away advocates and even seasoned policy-makers. This toolkit is the resource we’ve all been wishing for. It demystifies the often opaque world of healthcare and clearly defines the best policy pathways for boosting access to PRx programs in MMC.”
Diets low in fruits and vegetables are a leading risk factor for many chronic conditions, such as diabetes, and one trillion dollars is spent annually in the US on treatments. PRx can play an important role in responding to the epidemic of diet-related chronic disease and related costs, but access to PRx services is currently limited. This Toolkit, made possible with support of The Rockefeller Foundation, takes a deep dive into one of the most critical and widely available pathways for expanding access to PRx: Medicaid Managed Care.
“PRx programs have the potential to cost-effectively improve access to nutritious foods, improve health outcomes, and promote greater health equity,” said Director of Whole Person Care for CHLPI Katie Garfield. “MMC flexibilities offer a promising pathway for expanding access to these critical nutrition services. Our Toolkit is aimed at helping stakeholders navigate these opportunities and shares vital resources for promoting widespread adoption.”
MMC is the dominant model for delivering health care services within Medicaid, in which states outsource care delivery and provider payment to private health insurance plans. While federal law and policy do not yet provide broad coverage of nutrition interventions in Medicaid, MMC offers unique flexibility to support PRx. The Toolkit is designed to help PRx stakeholders navigate these opportunities by providing information and guidance in three key areas of creating policy change:
- Articulating the Problem: an overview of the case for expanding access to PRx and key points for stakeholders to share at the local, state, or national level
- Identifying a Policy Solution: a range of federal, state and health plan actions to improve access to PRx through MMC
- Building Capacity for Change: common strategies for PRx stakeholders to consider as they build capacity for local, state, and federal change
The first report of the CHLPI series, “Mainstreaming Produce Prescriptions: A Policy Scan,” provides a high-level overview of current opportunities to sustain and scale PRx via U.S. health care and food policies. “Mainstreaming Produce Prescriptions: A Policy Strategy Report” builds on this framework by providing policy recommendations addressing core challenges limiting access to these vital programs.
About DC Greens
DC Greens advances health equity by building a just and resilient food system. Founded in 2009, our vision is a capital city in which health equity is a central value, healthy food is a human right, and all residents have the resources to shape and control policies and programs for their own communities. Learn more at https://dcgreens.org.
About The Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation
The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation (CHLPI) advocates for legal, regulatory, and policy reforms in health and food systems, with a focus on the health, public health, and food needs of systemically marginalized individuals. CHLPI’s broad range of initiatives aim to expand access to high-quality health care and nutritious, affordable food; to reduce health- and food-related disparities; to develop community advocacy capacity; and, to promote more equitable, sustainable and effective health care and food systems. Learn more at: https://chlpi.org.