Committee unanimously backs 'food as medicine' resolution to coordinate hospital–agriculture pilots

The House Standing Committee on Health Services unanimously approved Senate Joint Resolution 23, a continuing resolution that the sponsors say will help capture and coordinate data from 'food as medicine' pilot programs statewide. Sponsors presented the resolution as a no-budget foundation to align hospitals, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and farmers in efforts to integrate nutrition into health care.

Senator Shelley Funke Froehmeyer (Senate District 24) introduced the resolution and credited the MAHA task force and partnerships with the Kentucky Hospital Association and the Department of Agriculture. Morgan Bray (joint employee supporting the initiative) outlined program components including clinical interventions, hospital–food-service integration, community access models, nutrition education and workforce wellness. Dana Feldman, executive director in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Office for Consumer and Environmental Protection, said hospitals and agriculture are working together to link local procurement to improved health outcomes and farmer prosperity.

Committee members asked whether Medicaid or other payers currently cover healthy food or food prescriptions. Presenters said several payers are running food-as-medicine pilots and that the committee is now in a data-harvesting phase; some hospital pilots (for example at Appalachian Regional Hospital) have provided food prescriptions funded by hospitals rather than by Medicaid. Presenters said expanding Medicaid coverage for food is an objective for some programs but is not part of this resolution and that the resolution contains no immediate taxpayer budget request.

The committee took a roll-call tally and Chair Mosher announced the resolution passed with favorable and unanimous support. Several members offered brief remarks of support during the vote. The committee closed by scheduling its next meeting for March 5.

What happens next: The resolution charges stakeholders to continue data collection and coordination; any expansion of payer coverage or implementing programs would require separate budgetary or statutory actions.