https://www.glwd.org/blog/celebrating-the-1115-waiver-and-the-future-of-medically-tailored-meals/

Celebrating the 1115 Waiver and the Future of Medically Tailored Meals

By Allyson Schiff, Business Development Manager

God’s Love We Deliver celebrates the incredible efforts of CMS, New York State Department Of Health, and the countless partners and thought leaders who helped to finalize this landmark 1115 Demonstration. Typically, Medicaid 1115 Demonstrations allow CMS to approve innovative projects that promote the purposeful objectives of Medicaid, and this is no different in its initiatives to address health-related social needs, amongst additional health care integration.

Earlier this week, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved New York’s Section 1115 Demonstration amendment, effective January 9, 2024 through March 31, 2027. In addition to “support[ing] the State’s interest and preparation” in pursuing two Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) models—the Making Care Primary (MCP) model and the States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD)—the approved waiver amendment will invest more than $6 billion of new federal funding into New York’s Medicaid program through the following key components.

For God’s Love, we are so excited to see the inclusion of Nutrition Services embedded into the foundation of the 1115 Demonstration, as we continue to see the success that medically tailored meals (MTM) and nutritional counseling and education can have for individuals who are dealing with a chronic or severe illness. The Tufts study of 2022 helped share that information on a national level, uncovering that if every eligible patient were able to access MTMs, the first year of service would realize $14B in net cost savings for our health systems and help avoid 1.6 million hospital visits.

We are looking forward to building deeper relationships within our New York community as Social Care Networks start to emerge, and Medicaid-eligible individuals begin to realize the benefits of such a wonderful intervention!

Official Press Releases:

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USCMSMEDICAID/bulletins/383f619

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-groundbreaking-medicaid-1115-waiver-amendment-enhance-new-york