The Maryland Department of Health would like your opinion and ideas about ways to expand nutrition services through Medicaid, which would begin in 2028. The MDH issued a Request for Information seeking public input on adding services that would improve nutrition for people on Maryland’s Me dicaid program. The initiative would use In Lieu of Services and Settings (ILOS) authority provide food and nutrition services to eligible Medicaid enrollees with specific chronic conditions. ILOS lets Medicaid managed care organizations offer medically sound and cost-effective alternatives to, or complements of, traditional covered services. “Nutrition-related ILOS helps answer a fundamental question: How do we organize the health care system around what actually improves health?” said Dr. Meena Seshamani, MDH Secretary. “Making healthy food a sustainable part of care can help Marylanders manage chronic disease and avoid complications, thereby improving health outcomes and spending the health care dollar in a smarter way.” Starting in 2028, the department plans to look for food- and nutrition-related services as an approved ILOS within HealthChoice, the state’s Medicaid managed care program. Services might include food-is-medicine interventions, like medically tailored meals and produce prescriptions. Both have demonstrated they improve the health of patients with certain chronic conditions. Maryland’s Medically Tailored Meals initiative already operates in six counties, and the Produce Prescription (Rx) program will launch later this summer. Both are supported by the Population Health Improvement Fund. MDH will draw on lessons from these programs, as well as the Rural Health Transformation Program to create the Medicaid ILOS approach. “As families across Maryland face growing challenges with food security and rising costs, integrating nutrition into health care provides vital, targeted support for our most vulnerable residents living with chronic conditions,” said Perrie Briskin, Deputy Secretary for Health Care Financing and Medicaid Director. “We encourage all stakeholders—from enrollees and providers to local community leaders—to submit feedback to help us shape how these services are delivered across Maryland.” As of April 2026, Maryland has nearly 1.4 million people enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. The state has expanded coverage to include low-income adults. As of 2024, around 12.3 percent of Maryland’s adults, or just under 600,000 people, had diabetes, and around 38 percent of adults, or about 1.8 million people, had prediabetes. As of 2020, 3.6 percent of Maryland adults had a diagnosis of angina or coronary heart disease, 3.4 percent of Maryland adults had experienced a heart attack (myocardial infarction), and 2.8% had experienced a stroke. Heart disease and diabetes are just two of many chronic conditions that could drastically improve with easier, less expensive access to healthy food. Other include Crohn’s Disease, kidney disease, and certain cancers. Access programs, like the food-is-medicine ones being implemented in Maryland, are making a measurable difference. An American Medical Association (AMA) article noted generally that while research is still needed, “[a]n evaluation of six months of participation found ‘31% fewer hospitalizations, 20% fewer emergency department visits’ and an average cut of about $3,400 in healthcare costs per patient. Moreover, ‘about 98% of the program costs were offset,’ suggesting these interventions may be nearly cost-neutral while significantly improving patient outcomes, …” Responses to the Request for Information are due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. To review the Request for Information and give feedback, visit the MDH website. Medicaid enrollees, providers, community leaders, and all other stakeholders are encouraged to respond. ...read more read less