HB 6101, An Act Concerning Medicaid Coverage Of Food As Medicine And Expanding Access To The Connecticut Farmers’ Market/Women, Infants And Children Nutrition Program
TESTIMONY OF THE CONNECTICUT HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
SUBMITTED TO THE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
Thursday, February 20, 2025
The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) appreciates this opportunity to submit testimony concerning HB 6101, An Act Concerning Medicaid Coverage Of Food As Medicine And Expanding Access To The Connecticut Farmers’ Market/Women, Infants And Children Nutrition Program. CHA supports this bill.
Connecticut hospitals and health systems care for patients, strengthen the state’s economy, and support vulnerable communities across the state. Every day, they work to improve healthcare access, affordability, and health equity. Even as they face ongoing challenges, hospitals provide world-class care to everyone who walks through their doors, regardless of their ability to pay. Hospitals also support an exemplary workforce as the largest collective employer in the state, contribute significantly to the state’s economy, and invest in their communities addressing social drivers of health.
For many low-income families, structural barriers to accessing healthy foods include the availability, affordability, and accessibility of nutritious food. HB 6101 seeks to address these issues by expanding access to fruits and vegetables to families with low income by providing Medicaid coverage for “Food as Medicine” under a Section 1115 waiver and by addressing barriers to participation in the Connecticut Farmers’ Market/Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition program (CT WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition program).
Connecticut hospitals and health systems routinely screen patients for health-related social needs (HRSN) and refer them to resources to address identified needs. Food insecurity is one of the most frequently identified needs for their patients. This is consistent with the findings of the recent Food Insecurity in Connecticut Report, which found that about 10% – 17% of the population is food insecure.1
Food as Medicine is a model of care by which healthcare providers develop care plans centered on nutrition that support the management of chronic disease conditions.
Medically tailored or supportive meals and groceries are often part of a patient’s care plan, guided by a registered dietician/nutritionist. Dietary interventions such as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, are proven to lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. Produce prescriptions is a related model in which providers write a prescription for food for their patients who may have dietary restrictions due to chronic conditions. Patients are empowered to purchase food with vouchers and debit cards that can be used to access fresh, frozen, and canned foods in various other food locations in addition to farmers’ markets. All of these models address barriers that limit access to nutritious foods.
Connecticut hospitals and health systems have done pioneering work in this area. Hospitals participate in multi-sector collaboratives and have community partnerships that implement various programs and initiatives to address health-related social needs. Access to nutritious foods is a major focus of these collaborative efforts and has resulted in Food as Medicine and produce prescription programs in addition to initiatives that focus on stocking food pantries with fresh produce and other food of higher nutritional value. The range and scope of services offered by hospitals and their community partners varies across the state and is not sufficient to meet the high level of need. Coverage of Food as Medicine related programs under a Section 1115 Medicaid waiver would provide much needed financing to build on existing initiatives and expand access throughout the state.
CHA agrees with the bill’s proposed goal to expand access to the CT WIC Farmers’ Market program. The program as designed operates seasonally and aims to ensure locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables are available to women, infants, and children who are medically or nutritionally at risk and to expand awareness of farmers’ markets and support of local farmers. Pregnant women who are food insecure are at high risk for gestational diabetes. Food insecurity can lead to adverse health outcomes for both the mother and baby such as hypertension and obesity.
The Farmers’ Market program improves the likelihood that those served can adopt healthy eating habits by participating in nutrition and cooking classes offered by local WIC agencies and some farmers’ market sites. However, the seasonal availability of the program is a barrier that challenges families’ ability to maintain healthy eating habits during the program’s off-season. Additionally, there is a limited number of authorized vendors in the program. CHA commends this bill’s focus on identifying and addressing barriers, which we believe should include expanding access to the program by covering transportation costs to vendor sites and/or to cooking classes for program participants and supporting local food systems with increased pathways for program inclusion as vendors.
CHA welcomes the opportunity to discuss how the flexibility awarded by the 1115 waiver to develop innovative programs and to modify the care delivery system can be explored under the proposed bill by investing in multi-sector collaborative partnerships to drive long-term preventive health outcomes.
Thank you for your consideration of our position. For additional information, contact CHA Government Relations at (203) 294-7301.