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WEDNESDAY, March 20, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Economic incentives for healthier foods through Medicare and Medicaid could generate substantial health gains and be highly cost-effective, according to a study published online March 19 in PLOS Medicine<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Yujin Lee, Ph.D., from Tufts University in Boston, and colleagues developed a microsimulation model to estimate cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes cases prevented, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), health-related costs (formal health care, informal health care, and lost-productivity costs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for two policy scenarios for adults within Medicare and Medicaid: a 30 percent subsidy on fruits and vegetables (F&V incentive) and a 30 percent subsidy on broader healthful foods including F&V, whole grains, nuts\/seeds, seafood, and plant oils (healthy food incentive). Health and cost impacts were simulated for current Medicare and Medicaid participants (82 million adults aged 35 to 80 years old).<\/p>\n
The researchers found that the F&V incentive prevented an estimated 1.93 million CVD events, gained 4.64 million QALYs, and saved $39.7 billion in formal health care costs, while the healthy food incentive prevented 3.28 million CVD events and 0.12 million diabetes events, gained 8.4 million QALYs, and saved $100.2 billion in formal health care costs. Both scenarios were cost-effective at five years and beyond, with lifetime ICERs of $18,184\/QALY (F&V incentive) and $13,194\/QALY (healthy food incentive). Including informal health care costs and lost productivity from a societal perspective, respective ICERs were $14,576\/QALY and $9,497\/QALY. Results were robust when analyses assessed food subsidy levels (20 and 50 percent) and beneficiary characteristics (e.g., age, race\/ethnicity, education, income).<\/p>\n
“These new findings support the concept of Food is Medicine: That innovative programs to encourage and reimburse healthy eating can and should be integrated into the health care system,” a coauthor said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Several authors disclosed financial ties to food, nutrition, and pharmaceutical companies.<\/p>\n