Healthy Foods for Better Health: Shapiro Administration Highlights ‘Food is Medicine’ Plan to Improve Medicaid Recipients’ Health Through Nutritious Meals | Department of Human[...]

Governor Josh Shapiro's proposed 2026-27 budget invests in nutritious and medically tailored meals for Medicaid recipients with certain diet-sensitive chronic health conditions.

Food is medicine programs like medically tailored meals improve health and reduce hospital stays, improving quality of life and reducing health care costs.

Ephrata, PA - Today, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh emphasized the importance of thinking of food as medicine. That concept is a key health care strategy in Governor Josh Shapiro's 2026-27 Budget Proposal that will invest $900,000 in state funding for a "food is medicine" pilot program. Through the pilot program - called Investments in Health - Medicaid recipients with certain diet-sensitive chronic health conditions will receive medically tailored meals that can improve their health, reduce the need for hospital stays and other costly interventions, and reduce health care spending.

"We know that a person's overall health and ability to manage a chronic medical condition has much more to do with what happens in their day-to-day lives than what happens during a doctor's office visit. Having consistent access to fresh, nutritious food is essential to helping Pennsylvanians with high-risk conditions be healthier, reduce food insecurity, and lower health care costs," said Secretary Arkoosh. "Pennsylvania has a unique opportunity right now to make strategic investments in proven prevention efforts that will improve the overall health of Pennsylvanians, their families, and our state's financial health as well. When we take a positive, proactive approach to improve Pennsylvanians' health and quality of life, everyone benefits."

"Food is medicine" strategies can found significantly reduce hospital admissions for people with diet-sensitive conditions and reduce health care spending by an average of 16 percent. Currently, PA DHS works with community-based organizations to provide medically tailored meals under Medicaid on a limited basis. This $900,000 proposed investment of state funds will expand this work, focusing on people with heart disease, diabetes (including gestational diabetes), end stage renal disease, and cancer patients actively receiving chemotherapy. With the investment of $900,000 in state funds, Pennsylvania would be able to leverage additional federal matching funds, bringing total funding to $2.3 million.

Investments in Health will provide funding in three key areas:

· Food is Medicine: $900,000 in state funds to leverage federal investment for a total of $2.3 million to support a pilot program that will bring medically tailored meals to Medicaid recipients with diet-sensitive health conditions;

· Reentry Supports: $900,000 in state funds to leverage additional federal funding for a total of $2.7 million that will support pre-release Medicaid coverage for incarcerated individuals returning to their communities from State Correctional Institutions; and

· Housing Stability: $1 million in state funding to leverage additional federal funding for a total of $2.5 million to launch a pilot that will help Pennsylvanians experiencing homelessness connect to stable housing and services.

Targeted budget investments in these proven services can improve people's health and quality of life, reduce health care costs and hospital visits, improve public safety, support economic and workforce development, and reduce recidivism.

Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health's Food Farmacy program is an award-winning community benefit initiative that integrates access to healthy food and nutrition education into care plans for food-insecure patients with nutrition-related conditions like metabolic syndrome and prediabetes. The program includes a LG Health registered dietitian who meets with patients at participating food pantries, providing them with nutrition counseling as they shop for healthy food for themselves and their families.

Today, LG Health has five Food Farmacy locations in Lancaster County, serving more than 500 patients in helping to reduce risk factors for individuals with diet-related chronic diseases.

"The Food Farmacy plays an important role in our broader goal of fostering a healthier Lancaster County," said Executive Director of Women, Pediatrics, and Community Health Ashley Lundy. "Healthy eating is fundamental to preventing chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. As we continue to evolve the program, we're focused on expanding access, and ensuring we meet patients where they are, with culturally responsive support that helps them make meaningful, lasting changes to their diet and overall health."

Building on Three Years of Progress

Under Governor Shapiro's leadership, his Administration has advanced initiatives to reduce hunger and expand access to nutritious food:

· Governor Shapiro's 2025-26 budget included a historic $11 million increase for food security, including $2 million for a new state Food Bucks program to supplement SNAP and $5 million in new funding to Pennsylvania food banks.

· Expanded universal free breakfast for 1.7 million students and free lunch for 22,000 students - serving nearly 93 million breakfasts last school year.

· Continued Summer EBT, known as SUN Bucks, and increased State Food Purchase Program support for children and seniors.

· Filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for unlawfully terminating the $13 million Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program, which supports 189 Pennsylvania farms and 14 food banks.

· Responded swiftly to the federal shutdown in 2025 by signing a disaster declaration, directing $5 million to Feeding Pennsylvania's food bank network, and launching the SNAP Emergency Relief Fund, which raised more than $2 million in private donations.

· Joined 24 other states and Washington, D.C. in successfully suing the Trump Administration for suspending SNAP payments and failing to use contingency funds approved by Congress.

· Continued the Fresh Food Financing Initiative to improve access to local food and support small businesses.

Read more about Governor Shapiro's 2026-27 Budget Proposal.

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