August 17, 2026
The gap between screening and eating
This week we're looking at the full arc of Food is Medicine: what a 161,000-household study found when food banks made it real, why most patients who screen positive for food insecurity never reach a produce prescription, how to model whether your FIM program pencils out against Medicaid capitation rates, and where four new state grants are trying to close the loop for good.
The Nation's Largest Food as Medicine Evaluation of Food Banks — What the 161,000-Household Study Found
The 2026 Feeding America / Elevance Health Foundation study is the largest Food as Medicine evaluation of food banks ever conducted — 1.45 million patients screened and 161,000 households connected across 13 states over three years.
The Bridge to Nowhere in FIM Referrals: Why Most Screened Patients Never Reach a Produce Prescription Program
Only 24.5% of patients who flag a social need and request help actually recall receiving a resource guide — three quarters of the referral chain breaks before reaching a produce prescription.
How to Calculate Whether Your FIM Program Saves Medicaid Money — The Actuarial Tool FIM Operators and Advocates Now Have
Diet-related conditions cost U.S. healthcare more than $1.1 trillion annually — Medicaid bears a significant share, and FIM programs are designed to reduce it.
Four States Just Got $100,000 Each to Build Food Is Medicine Into Medicaid — What the MFSPP Second Cohort Reveals
Four organizations — New Growth (MO), NC Food Is Medicine Coalition, PHMC (PA), and WV Food and Farm Coalition — each received $100,000 over 18 months as MFSPP second-cohort grantees to build food is medicine capacity inside Medicaid.
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