Shapiro Administration Highlights Governor’s Proposed Budget Investments Using Healthy Meals to Support Better Health for Medicaid Recipients | Department of Human Services |[...]

Governor Josh Shapiro's proposed 2026-27 budget includes $900,000 in state funds to invest in nutritious and medically tailored meals for Medicaid recipients with certain chronic health conditions.

Medically tailored meals can help a person more effectively manage their health conditions, with less need for prescriptions and inpatient care, improving their quality of life and reducing health care costs.

Scranton, PA - Today, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh highlighted how Governor Josh Shapiro's 2026-27 Budget Proposal invests $900,000 in state funding for the Investments in Health pilot program, which will provide nutritious, medically tailored meals to Medicaid recipients with chronic health conditions to improve their health and quality of life and lower health care spending.

During a visit to Geisinger Fresh Food Farmacy, Secretary Arkoosh toured the organization's food pantry and met with State Representative Bridget Kosierowski and other local leadership for a roundtable discussion on the importance of access to healthy food for individuals, families, and communities.

Secretary Arkoosh shared how the Investments in Health program will support Medicaid recipients with chronic health conditions. This proposed investment of state funds allows Pennsylvania to leverage additional federal matching funds, which will bring total funding to $2.3 million. Medically tailored meals are a proven strategy to help Medicaid recipients manage their health conditions, improve their overall health, and reduce health care costs.

"Addressing social needs such as food insecurity or difficulty accessing fresh, healthy foods not only helps meet this essential need but also has been shown to reduce hospital admissions by half for individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes and congestive heart failure," said Secretary Arkoosh. "Pennsylvania has a unique opportunity right now to make strategic investments in proven prevention efforts that can help people be healthier, decrease health care costs, and reduce food insecurity in individuals with high-risk health conditions. When we take a positive, proactive approach to improving people's health and reducing healthcare costs, that is a win for everyone in the Commonwealth."

Investments in Health will provide funding in three key areas:

· Food is Medicine: $900,000 in state funds to leverage federal investment for a total of $2.3 million to support a pilot program that will bring medically tailored meals to Medicaid recipients with diet-sensitive health conditions.

· Reentry Supports: $900,000 in state funds to leverage additional federal funding for a total of $2.7 million that will support pre-release Medicaid coverage for incarcerated individuals returning to their communities from State Correctional Institutions.

· Housing Stability: $1 million in state funding to leverage additional federal funding for a total of $2.5 million to launch a pilot that will help Pennsylvanians experiencing homelessness connect to stable housing and services.

Targeted budget investments in these proven services can improve people's health and quality of life, reduce health care costs and hospital visits, improve public safety, support economic and workforce development, and reduce recidivism.

"In Lackawanna County, too many families managing chronic health conditions also face barriers to accessing healthy, reliable meals. This investment in medically tailored meals will help Medicaid recipients stay healthier, improve long-term health outcomes, and reduce avoidable hospital visits," said Representative Kosierowski. "Programs like this recognize that food is medicine and can play a critical role in improving quality of life for vulnerable communities across Northeastern Pennsylvania. I applaud DHS Secretary Dr. Arkoosh and the Shapiro Administration for prioritizing innovative, compassionate solutions that support the whole person and strengthen communities across Pennsylvania."

As a leader in the food is medicine space, Geisinger's Fresh Food Farmacy provides food-insecure individuals living with diabetes access to fresh, healthy food along with health coaching and care management support. Since launching in 2019, Geisinger Fresh Food Farmacy Scranton has helped more than 1,100 patients and served more than 1.8 million pounds of food. Across all sites, the Fresh Food Farmacy has enrolled over 3,400 patients, and provided more than 3.9 million pounds of food to participating households. Geisinger's Fresh Food Farmacy is one of the ways Geisinger is helping to address the needs of members, patients, and communities and making healthy food easier to access. Additional support includes connections to SNAP benefits, mobile food pantries in partnership with local community organizations, food delivery resources, and the Social Needs Resource Hub to assist with navigation to resources.

"The Fresh Food Farmacy model shows what's possible when healthcare and social care work hand in hand," said Geisinger Population Health and Quality Vice President Allison Hess. "When patients have reliable access to healthy food, we see real improvements in chronic disease management, quality of life and overall health outcomes. It was an honor to have Secretary Arkoosh tour our Fresh Food Farmacy and see firsthand what Geisinger is doing to recognize that food is medicine as we address health challenges upstream to strengthen families and build healthier communities."

Building on Three Years of Progress

Under Governor Shapiro's leadership, his Administration has advanced initiatives to reduce hunger and expand access to nutritious food:

· Governor Shapiro's 2025-26 budget included a historic $11 million increase for food security, including $2 million for a new state Food Bucks program to supplement SNAP and $5 million in new funding to Pennsylvania food banks.

· Expanded universal free breakfast for 1.7 million students and free lunch for 22,000 students - serving nearly 93 million breakfasts last school year.

· Continued Summer EBT and increased State Food Purchase Program support for children and seniors.

· Filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for unlawfully terminating the $13 million Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program, which supports 189 Pennsylvania farms and 14 food banks.

· Responded swiftly to the federal shutdown by signing a disaster declaration, directing $5 million to Feeding Pennsylvania's food bank network, and launching the SNAP Emergency Relief Fund, which has raised more than $2 million in private donations.

· Joined 24 other states and Washington, D.C. in successfully suing the Trump Administration for suspending SNAP payments and failing to use contingency funds approved by Congress.

· Continued the Fresh Food Financing Initiative to improve access to local food and support small businesses.

Read more about Governor Shapiro's 2026-27 Budget Proposal.

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