Food delivery services covered for some Medicaid members starting June 1

Beginning June 1, some Priority Health Medicaid members will be covered for food delivery services under the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) in lieu of services (ILOS) initiative. The goal for ILOS is to improve health and reduce the future need for medical services by addressing food insecurity and ensuring members have access to nutritious foods.

How does the ILOS benefit work?

We’ll offer two MDHHS nutrition service ILOS programs:

• Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals: Fresh or frozen home-delivered meals that are medically tailored for a specific disease or condition
• Healthy Home-Delivered Meals: Nutritionally balanced home-delivered meals consisting of hot, cold, frozen or shelf-stable meals aimed at promoting improved nutrition for the member

Medicaid members eligible for either of these programs will be identified by a provider or a Priority Health care manager. 

Which members are eligible?

The ILOS benefit is only available to Medicaid members at risk for nutritional deficiency or nutritional imbalance due to food insecurity, defined as being unable to obtain nutritionally adequate, medically appropriate and/or safe foods. Eligible members must also meet certain service limitations, such as the inability to shop and cook for themselves. 

Additionally, there must be a clinical risk factor. For the Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals, members must either have a nutrition-sensitive condition (diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, hypertension, HIV, cancer, obesity, etc.) or have been discharged from a hospital or skilled nursing facility in the past 90 days. For Healthy Home-Delivered Meals, there are a number of clinical risk factors that could apply. 

Refer to pages 5–10 of MDHHS’s ILOS Policy Guide for full eligibility requirements.

Who will be delivering the meals?

We’re bringing local, community-based organizations with established food delivery infrastructure into our network to serve these meals. These organizations will be listed in Find a Doctor.

What can providers do?

Check eligibility requirements and refer eligible Medicaid members who would benefit from either of these programs. The referral/authorization process is still being finalized, but it will take place in prism. More details to come.