Advocacy
The Health Care by Food™ initiative is designed to promote effective approaches to treat, manage and prevent chronic disease through the prescription of healthy food in the health care setting.
The initiative’s goal is to develop evidence on the cost effectiveness of different food is medicine programs for patients with health conditions. We will use that evidence to educate stakeholders about the importance of patients with diet-related acute and chronic conditions accessing food is medicine as a covered benefit through public or private health insurance.
Along the way, we will help foster partnerships among stakeholders to develop evidence on clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness to inform decisions by private health insurers, Medicare and Medicaid programs to cover food is medicine as a medical benefit.
Policy Evaluation Task Force
The Policy Evaluation Task Force strategically assesses the landscape of food is medicine pilot and demonstration projects in state Medicaid programs, including the evaluation of Medicaid 1115 waivers.
Our History
For decades, the American Heart Association has advocated for policies that improve cardiovascular health across the U.S. population. The AHA supports efforts to increase equitable access to nutritious, affordable food in the health care delivery system and to connect patients with community resources that will enable healthy eating patterns. Learn more about the AHA’s policy positions here.
Learn more about the American Heart Association’s policy and advocacy positions on programs related to food is medicine Interventions:
- Food Is Medicine: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association (September 2023)
- American Heart Association Health x Food Scientific Lead Dr. Kevin Volpp’s testimony before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research (December 2022)
- Strategies to Address Socioeconomic and Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Chronic Diseases by Incorporating Food and Nutrition Programs into the Primary Healthcare Setting (June 2022)
- Strengthening US Food Policies and Programs to Promote Equity in Nutrition Security: A Policy Statement from the American Heart Association (May 2022)
- Food Sustainability and the Farm Bill Policy Statement (May 2022)
- Expanding Access to Healthy Food for Medicaid Beneficiaries (January 2019)