Prescribing prevention: How nutrition access is reshaping affordable healthcare

Imagine a 52-year-old patient whose uncontrolled high blood pressure and diabetes continued to require higher doses and an increased number of medications. She was referred to a program that offered personalized nutrition support — not just groceries but coaching and culturally familiar meals tailored to her health needs. Within six months, her readings were improved. Her energy returned. Her medication needs lessened. Her sense of control soared.

This story isn’t unique. It’s a glimpse into where primary care must go next: ensuring patients have access to the full spectrum of preventive tools, including nutrition services, to reduce chronic conditions and avoid their associated costs.

Across the country, millions of Americans face chronic diseases that are often preventable. One in 3 adolescents has prediabetes. Half of adults live with high blood pressure or diabetes. Three in 4 are overweight or have obesity. These conditions are driven not just by biology but by barriers to care, including limited access to nutritious food, coaching, and community-based support. And they create a crushing economic burden for individuals and society at large — chronic diseases account for 90% of the nation’s $4.9 trillion annual healthcare expenditures.

Layered atop this is a worsening epidemic of food and nutrition insecurity, affecting every county in the nation. It increases stress, reduces food quality, and places unsustainable pressure on families and our healthcare system. Yet clinical guidelines for conditions like diabetes and hypertension, which emphasize lifestyle change, are often skipped. Why? Time and money constraints, limited training, and a lack of confidence in patient follow-through all play a role. But more fundamentally, many physicians were never taught how powerful food and lifestyle interventions can be in medical training.

That’s changing

Elevance Health and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) have partnered to integrate nutrition services directly into primary care at Community Health Centers (CHCs), which serve nearly 52 million patients nationwide, including 1 in 3 in rural America. This initiative trains provider teams to screen and enroll eligible Medicaid members in personalized nutrition programs, including medically tailored meals, coaching, and referrals, all embedded into routine care.

By embedding these supports into care workflows, the partnership reduces barriers to access and makes prevention part of the standard of care. It’s not just about prescribing food; it’s about making sure patients can actually receive it, understand and enjoy it, and use it to improve their health. And improving healthcare affordability in the process.

This model is already being piloted in two states. With localized data and community partnerships, it could scale nationally, particularly in areas where chronic disease rates are high and access to care is limited.

Healthcare systems must act faster and smarter. That means:

• Operationalizing screening and referral protocols within clinical workflows.
• Training providers to incorporate and refer to culturally relevant nutrition resources
• Creating reimbursement pathways aligned with policy momentum.

We recognize that our experiences with health and food are deeply personal. But when healthcare systems prioritize accessibility and affordability, not just medication, we build stronger, healthier communities. That means equipping families with every evidence-based tool available, including nutrition services.

Medications can be essential. But when paired with accessible, culturally relevant nutrition, their impact is amplified and reduces reliance on costly treatments. Investing in our patients’ long-term health through nutrition and medicine is investing in a treatment plan that is sustainable.

We have the recipe for success. Now it’s time to make sure everyone can have a seat at the table.

Shantanu Agrawal, M.D., is chief health officer at Elevance Health. Kyu Rhee, M.D., M.P.P., is president and chief executive of the National Association of Community Health Centers. Kofi Essel, M.D., M.P.H., is director of Food as Medicine programs at Elevance Health.