AB 1975 (Bonta): Fact Sheet
SUMMARY
To improve health outcomes, reduce avoidable
healthcare spending and increase health equity for
Medi-Cal beneficiaries, California must add medically
supportive food and nutrition interventions as
covered benefits in Medi-Cal.
BACKGROUND
Medically Supportive Food and Nutrition (MSF&N)
covers a spectrum of seven interventions, which
provide nutrient-rich whole foods to prevent, manage,
or reverse diet -sensitive health conditions. These
include medically tailored meals, food pharmacies,
produce prescriptions, and more.
Throughout California, various organizations are
implementing "food as medicine" programs. For
instance, in Alameda County, Recipe4Health offers
patients regenerative and organic produce sourced
from local black, indigenous, and people of color
farmers, along with health coaching. Evaluations of
the program have shown that nearly a third of
patients experience clinically meaningful
improvements in blood sugar control. Similarly,
statewide medically tailored meal programs provide
home-delivered meals tailored to recipients’ health
conditions by registered dietitian nutritionists,
resulting in evaluations showing a more than 60%
reduction in hospitalizations.
Healthy Food Rx project in Stockton , which aims to
enhance access to fresh , healthy foods in low -income
communities affected by diabetes. A study conducted
over 12 months found significant improvements
among participants , including a decrease in food
insecurity by 10%, significant increase in daily food
and vegetable consumption , a decrease of 0.35 in
hemoglobin A1C levels and improvement in diabetes
self-management.
Data from the National Health Interview Survey
revealed that individuals experiencing food insecurity
incur approximately $1,863 higher healthcare
expenditures annu ally than those unaffected by this
challenge. Adjustments were made for variables such
as age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income,
insurance, and residential location.
EXISTING LAW
Medi-Cal, administered by the California Department
of Health Care Services (DHCS), provides healthcare
services to qualified low -income individuals. Medi -Cal is partially governed and funded by federal Medicaid
provisions.
Under the California Advancing and Innovating Medi -
Cal (CalAIM) initiative, which started on Jan uary 1,
2022, and ends in January 2027, Medi -Cal managed
care plans have the option to provide coverage for
cost-effective and medically appropriate community
support services. Across California's 58 counties, there are 14 community support programs, with each
county having at least two programs in operation.
Currently, the Medically Tailored Meals Pilot Program
and the Short -Term Medically Tailored Meals
constitute the two pilot initiatives providing medically tailored meal intervention services to qualif ying Medi- Cal beneficiaries with specific health conditions across 57 counties in California. The remaining county will be opted July 2026.
PROBLEM
Too many Californians, particularly Californians of
color, are living with largely preventable chronic
conditions. Adequate food and nutrition are a
fundamental part of preventing and treating chronic
conditions, and can significantly improve a patient's
quality of life and health status while also reducing
healthcare costs. The way communities approach
healthy cooking is influenced by factors such as
limited access to fresh foods, financial constraints
preventing the purchase of nutritious groceries, and a
lack of knowledge about cooking with unfamiliar
ingredients.
SOLUTION
AB 1975 will make medically suppor tive food and
nutrition services a permanet covered benefit for all
eligible beneficiaries under the Medi-Cal program.
AB 1975: FOOD AS MEDICINE (UPDATED – 04.15.2024)
Assemblymember Mia Bonta, 18th Assembly District
AB 1975 (Bonta): Fact Sheet
SUPPORT
● SPUR (co-sponsor)
● Food as Medicine Collaborative (co-sponsor)
● AARP
● AIDS Healthcare Foundation
● Alameda County Board of Supervisors
● Alameda County Community Food Bank
● Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association
● Almond Alliance
● American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists, District IX
● American Diabetes Association
● American Pistachio Growers
● Asian Pacific Islander Forward Movement
● Association of Regional Center Agencies
● Black Equity Collective
● CA4Health
● California Black Health Network
● California Black Power Network
● California Chronic Care Coalition
● California Food and Farming Network
● California Health Coalition Advocacy
● California Immigrant Policy Center
● California Kidney Care Alliance
● California Medical Association
● California Reparations Task Force Members Dr.
Cheryl Grills, Lisa Holder, and Don Tamaki
● California Retired Teachers Association
● California WIC Association
● California-Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP
● Catalyst California
● Ceres Community Project
● City and County of San Francisco
● City of Long Beach
● Contra Costa Health Services
● County Health Executives Association of California
(CHEAC)
● Culver City Democratic Club
● Educate. Advocate.
● Equal Justice Society
● Food for People, the Food Bank for Humboldt
County
● Fresenius Medical Care North America
● Fresh Approach
● Glide
● Greater Sacramento Urban League
● Harbor Christian Church
● Health Access California
● Indivisible Ca: StateStrong
● LeadingAge California
● Livefree California
● Marin Food Policy Council
● Meals on Wheels California (UNREG)
● Meals on Wheels San Francisco
● Pesticide Action Network North America
● Purfoods, LLC A/k/a Mom's Meals
● Rising Communities
● Roots of Change
● Sacramento Food Policy Council
● San Diego Hunger Coalition
● San Francisco-Marin Food Bank
● Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County
● Second Harvest of Silicon Valley
● The Praxis Project
● Veggielution
● Western Center on Law & Poverty, INC.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Monica Sepulveda, Legislative Aide
[email protected] | (916) 319-2018