Feeding Texas Network and over 70 partner organizations are prioritizing “Food is Medicine” solutions for the 2025 Legislative Session

TEXAS – As Hunger Action Month comes to a close, Feeding Texas joins our network of 20 food banks and a coalition of more than 70 partner organizations to announce our commitment to advancing food is medicine solutions in the 2025 Texas legislative session give. Food is Medicine (FIM) programs use food-based interventions to prevent, manage, and treat specific health conditions.

“Nutrition and health are closely linked” said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas, the state food bank association. “Individuals experiencing food insecurity are more likely to experience poor health and face barriers to accessing necessary health services. Food insecurity is associated with higher rates of chronic and diet-related illnesses, and when someone is sick, the choice between food and treatment can lead to serious complications. Understanding this connection is critical to developing comprehensive strategies to improve food security and health care in our state.”

Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 1575 into law in June 2023. The bill recognizes that nonmedical factors impact health outcomes and requires that pregnant Medicaid recipients be screened for nonmedical needs. It also provides case management services to connect these beneficiaries with non-medical resources in the community. In response to the new law, managed care organizations (MCOs) in Texas began using screening questions developed by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) this month to assess the non-medical needs of their pregnant patients.

HB 1575 strengthens the way Medicaid can be used to identify and impact underlying, non-medical issues such as nutrition, housing, transportation and more. The bill was sponsored by Representative Lacey Hull and Senator Lois Kolkhorst and its passage came after HHSC released an Action Plan to Address Nonmedical Drivers of Health (NMDoH) through Medicaid & CHIP.

“In the 2023 legislative session, Texas lawmakers recognized the importance of addressing non-medical determinants of health and took action to improve health outcomes for pregnant patients.” Cole said. “HB 1575 was a promising step in the right direction, as was HHSC’s action plan. We are confident that the synergies we have seen around these solutions will continue to play out in the 2025 session. Feeding Texas will support strategies designed to continue this groundbreaking work to reduce food insecurity and increase access to nutritious foods to help Medicaid recipients manage chronic and diet-related illnesses.”

FIM solutions have been identified as a top priority by the Feeding Texas network and the Texas Food Policy Roundtable (TFPR), a coalition of more than 70 organizations working to end hunger. Feeding Texas plans to support two primary FIM policies in the 2025 legislative session, including Medicaid 1115 Waivers and In Lieu of Services (ILOS) provisions.

Medicaid 1115 Waivers are demonstration projects that provide states the flexibility to test policy approaches that have the potential to improve services for Medicaid populations. ILOS is a provision that can be added to Medicaid contracts that allows MCOs to replace traditional medical care with Health-Related Social Needs (HRSNs).

“Creating a healthy Texas requires a health care system that takes a holistic approach to treating patients and addresses health-related needs that go beyond just medicine.” Cole said. “Food banks have been in this area for years and have a track record of developing successful programs with local health organizations to serve community members. Greater integration of nutrition into our health care system would allow physicians to prescribe healthy foods that food banks can provide through a streamlined Medicaid reimbursement model. This would simplify the process for patients, scale existing food bank infrastructure and could significantly reduce healthcare costs over time.”