Medically tailored meals receipt and healthcare utilization and costs in Massachusetts’ Medicaid demonstration

Smaller studies and short-term trials of medically tailored meals (MTMs) have shown health benefits for several conditions, but MTMs have not been tested in large-scale policy programs. Many US states are now offering MTMs through Medicaid — the health insurance program for low-income individuals — but their impact hasn’t been studied at scale. We looked at changes in hospital stays, emergency department (ED) visits, and healthcare costs among 1,866 MTM recipients and 1,372 comparison participants from 2020 to 2023 across 11 health systems in Massachusetts. Both groups qualified based on having diet-related health conditions and food insecurity. MTM receipt averaged 6.7 months and was associated with 31% fewer hospitalizations, 20% fewer ED visits, and $3,433 lower total healthcare costs. The cost reductions offset 98% of the MTM program costs during the enrollment period. Results held up across multiple follow-up analyses. When broken down by condition, MTMs were net cost-saving for participants with cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, depression, diabetes, or high numbers of overlapping health conditions. This large-scale evaluation of an MTM policy program informs the growing conversation around “food is medicine” approaches in clinical care.