LiveWell with Traditions has long known that offering a medically tailored meal benefit can provide significant cost savings for insurers. Now, a new study further supports this finding by analyzing data from nearly 7 million U.S. adults with food-sensitive chronic diseases and breaking down projected savings by state. Led by Shuyue Deng at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, the study concluded that offering medically tailored meals would result in cost savings in almost every state.
What are medically tailored meals?
Medically tailored meals, or MTMs, are ready-to-eat meals that are prepared according to customized meal plans designed by dietitian nutritionists. These meals meet specific dietary requirements for individuals with chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, along with limitations in the ability to perform daily activities such as shopping and cooking.
Medically tailored meal benefit programs can be added to Medicare Advantage plans for older adults and others who qualify for Medicare. They support the concept of “food as medicine,” the belief that healthy food can help prevent, manage, or treat specific clinical conditions and lead to healthier individuals.
How do medically tailored meals lower insurance costs?
The foods a person eats can affect the severity and trajectory of many chronic health conditions. Changing nutritional patterns is crucial to preventing the emergence and development of diseases, boosting longevity, and enhancing quality of life.
The Tufts study showed that by helping patients consume a diet that is optimized for their needs, medically tailored meals can help to prevent chronic conditions from worsening and reduce the need for costly hospital visits and treatments.
“By conducting a comprehensive analysis that considers the diversity in state health care systems and patient demographics, the study highlights the potential financial benefits of MTMs,” said Deng. “The preliminary results indicate MTMs could significantly reduce health care costs and hospitalizations in almost every state.”
An NLM abstract cited in our white paper on food as medicine states that “Investing in a prescribed/recommended diet is likely to be more beneficial for insurers, employers, and other payers, as preventing the complications and comorbidities associated with obesity and disease progression could result in significant cost savings.” The same study found that providing medically tailored meals could result in an annual healthcare cost reduction of $27-48 billion.
Lowering costs with medically tailored meal programs like LiveWell with Traditions
The findings from this study provide a compelling reason for MAOs to offer a meal benefit program, and LiveWell with Traditions is proud to set a new standard for MTM services. Our meals are crafted by in-house registered dietitians and our executive chef to follow strict guidelines while remaining diverse, culturally appropriate, and delicious. They’re also delivered directly to members’ doors to provide both friendly interaction and well-being checks. It’s an approach that provides meaningful benefits for members and insurers alike.
To learn more about how medically tailored meals can lower healthcare costs for insurers, download our white paper Food as Medicine: How Medically Tailored Meals and Home-Delivered Nutrition Enhances Americans’ Health and Reduces Healthcare Costs.
