Measurable Health Benefits
Mozaffarian told senators that malnutrition is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States, and that a typical American diet that is high in refined starches, sugar, salt and other additives and low in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, seafood and yogurt contributes to an estimated 10,000 deaths, 1,500 new cases of cancer and 16,000 new cases of diabetes every week.
“Throughout the year, I have met and spoken to thousands of Americans who know in their hearts that the food we eat is making them sick, yet feel powerless to do anything about it. This lack of access to healthy food is literally deadly,” Mozaffarian said.
He said the “food is medicine” approach has been proven to improve blood pressure, mental health and self-management of disease, lower body mass index and reduce the chance of diabetes complications.
Cost Saving Power
Mozaffarian also noted that such treatments can be cost-saving compared to other common medical interventions, especially when targeting high-risk patients with complex medical conditions.
in analysis A study he worked on with colleagues at the Friedman School found that the state’s needs-based meals program led to net savings of $9,000 per year per patient served, even after subtracting the costs of the program.
based on His own researchIt also estimated that about six million Americans qualify for medically sensitive meals, and providing them could save the state about $14 billion a year.
The importance of access
FIM programs are accelerating across the country, but the way Medicare and private health insurance plans work means most Americans can’t access them, Mozaffarian said. Other obstacles include a shortage of FIM vendors and suppliers and a lack of medical education for health care providers.
Mozaffarian called on Congress to update the policy to expand access to FIM programs across the country and increase the overall benefits derived from the FIM approach.
“The country is at a tipping point to accelerate FIM,” he said. “Further research and implementation projects are essential to evaluate which FIM programs are most effective for which patients.”
Specifically, Mozaffarian said Congress should develop policies that support FIM programs in community health centers that serve the most vulnerable Americans. He also said Congress should promote FIM in Medicare and encourage the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Interventions to incorporate and test FIM approaches in pilot programs.
National Health and Security Issues
Mozaffarian said the impact of such a policy revision would be far-reaching.
He noted that malnutrition not only makes hundreds of millions of people sick, but it also creates problems on a massive scale across the country, costing the economy an estimated $1.1 trillion each year in preventable health care costs and lost productivity, impacting budgets at every level, from households to businesses to state and federal governments.
Malnutrition is also a “national security imperative,” he said. Nearly eight in 10 young Americans are ineligible to serve in the military, primarily because they are overweight or obese.
And it disproportionately impacts low-income and historically marginalized communities, causing social discord, he said.
“If we want to do the things that we believe are important for the American people, we’re never going to get the funding we need unless we cut health care costs. And health care costs are never going to go down unless we fix food insecurity,” he told senators.
