TMTM
Mother and son shopping together in a supermarket

MilosStankovic/istockphoto

Cheapism is editorially independent. We may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site.

As pandemic-driven boosts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits dissipate, the Biden Administration is granting states permission to use Medicaid funds to pay for groceries and nutritional counseling, The Wall Street Journal reports.


The effort supports "food as medicine" programs that promote healthy eating as a way to improve consumers' health and well-being.

The food-as-medicine health care approach is driven by the idea that consumers with access to healthy food can improve their overall health, leading to fewer doctor visits and less money spent on care and prescription drugs.


Opponents of the program argue that shoppers who haven't already been buying healthy foods are unlikely to change their habits and given that SNAP benefits exist to provide low-income families with groceries, naysayers see the new Medicaid interpretation as redundant. 


“We already have the SNAP program,” Gary D. Alexander, head of the Medicaid and Health Safety Net Initiative for Paragon Health Institute, told the Journal. “It seems like it’s blurring the lines.” 


Gallery: SNAP and Other Low-Income Relief Programs for Seniors

Though the change has been approved federally, specifics about what items can be purchased and which nutritional counseling programs beneficiaries can enroll in are up to the states. Potential programs include medically tailored, delivered food programs and nutritional cooking classes, which are otherwise typically costly and not covered by health insurance.

Cheapism in the News
msn
today
nytimes
cnbc
newyorker
cbs