Meals are cost-saving assuming full uptake among eligible patients with diet-related diseases, limitations in activities of daily living<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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FRIDAY, April 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Medically tailored meals (MTMs) are net cost-saving in the first year in 49 states, assuming full uptake among eligible patients with diet-related diseases and limitations in activities of daily living, according to a study published in the April issue of Health Affairs<\/em>.<\/p>\n Using a population-based, open-cohort simulation model, Shuyue Deng, from Tufts University in Boston, and colleagues estimated state-specific one-year and five-year changes in annual hospitalizations, health care spending, and cost-effectiveness of MTMs for patients with diet-related diseases and limitations in activities of daily living who were covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance.<\/p>\n The researchers found that MTMs were net cost-saving in the first year in 49 states assuming full uptake among eligible people, with the largest savings seen in Connecticut ($6,299 per patient). Alabama was the exception, where MTMs were cost-neutral. To avert one hospitalization, the number of treated patients varied from 2.3 in Maryland to 6.9 in Colorado.<\/p>\n “The most striking finding is that medically tailored meals, assuming full uptake by eligible individuals, were cost-saving in 49 of 50 states, highlighting their potential to reduce both financial and health burdens,” Deng said in a statement. “These results emphasize the potential for policymakers to integrate medically tailored meals into health care coverage at scale.”<\/p>\n