Bill > HR5439

This bill establishes a six-year pilot program called the Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program under Medicare, designed to improve clinical health outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions for certain patients. The program will involve at least 40 eligible hospitals (defined as hospitals with good quality ratings) that will provide two medically tailored meals per day for at least 12 weeks to qualified individuals with diet-impacted diseases like kidney disease, congestive heart failure, or diabetes. To be eligible, patients must be Medicare part A beneficiaries, live at home, have limitations in daily activities, and be at high risk of hospital readmission. The hospitals will be required to screen patients, provide meals designed by registered dietitians that meet at least two-thirds of daily nutritional needs, and offer medical nutrition therapy. The program will be funded through the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, with payment amounts determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and hospitals will be required to submit data to evaluate the program's effectiveness. The Secretary will conduct intermediate and final evaluations, reporting to Congress on clinical outcomes, cost of care, patient experiences, and overall health impacts, with the goal of determining whether this meal-based intervention can reduce healthcare costs and improve patient health.

Budget and Finance

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5439/all-info