# Plain Language Summary: Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Demonstration Pilot Act

This bill creates a test program where hospitals can provide specially designed meals delivered to patients' homes as part of their treatment. The idea is that for people with diet-related diseases like diabetes, heart failure, or kidney disease, eating the right foods can help them recover better and avoid going back to the hospital. The program would run for three years and involve at least 20 hospitals spread across at least 10 different states, all paid for through Medicare.

Here's who this affects and how it works: If you're on Medicare and have a serious health condition that's affected by what you eat, a hospital in this program could screen you before you leave the hospital to see if you qualify. If you do, the hospital would arrange for a meal delivery service to bring you at least two meals a day for at least 12 weeks. These meals would be designed by a nutritionist specifically for your condition and would cover about two-thirds of your daily nutritional needs. The hospital would also provide or arrange nutrition counseling to help you understand how to eat better. Optionally, the program could even provide meals for your caregiver or children living with you.

The main goal is to test whether this approach actually works—does it help people stay healthier, keep them out of the hospital, and save money overall? Hospitals participating in the program have to track how patients do and report back to the government. After three years, the government will report to Congress on whether this should become a permanent Medicare benefit. This is essentially a real-world experiment to see if investing in better nutrition at home can reduce hospital visits and improve people's health outcomes.

Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Demonstration Pilot Act of 2021

McGovern, James P.

Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Demonstration Pilot Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services to establish a demonstration program to allow hospitals to provide medically tailored, home-delivered meals to Medicare beneficiaries who have a diet-impacted disease (e.g., kidney disease) and have daily living limitations. Participating hospitals must (1) retain a physician, registered dietitian or nutrition professional, or clinical social worker to screen, monitor, and coordinate services for individuals who receive meals through the program; and (2) contract with experienced organizations for meal delivery. Hospitals may choose to also provide meals to an individual's primary caregiver or to a dependent under the age of 18 who resides in the same household.