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HR5439119th CongressWALLET
Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program Pilot Act
Sponsored By: Representative McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]
In Committee
Summary
This bill would create a new _Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program_ under Medicare Part A. The test would provide medically tailored home-delivered meals and medical nutrition therapy after hospital discharge to see if those services improve health and cut readmissions.
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- High-risk Medicare patients who live at home and have diet-impacted conditions (such as kidney disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, or COPD) could qualify. Qualified individuals would receive at least 2 medically tailored meals per day and medical nutrition therapy for a minimum of 12 weeks, with re-screening every 12 weeks.
- The Secretary would select at least 40 eligible hospitals by June 30, 2027. Participating hospitals must staff screening and nutrition services, include registered dietitians or nutrition professionals, and meet quality and application requirements.
- The program would be funded from the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and run on a budget-neutral test design that reduces certain inpatient payments so program payments are offset. The Secretary must collect data, monitor claims, and issue an interim report around year 3 and a final report around year 8 to evaluate readmissions, total Part A costs, and patient experience.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Free medically tailored meals for Medicare
If enacted, qualified people entitled to Medicare Part A would be able to get medically tailored home-delivered meals and medical nutrition therapy without Part A cost-sharing. To qualify you would need to be a Part A beneficiary not receiving similar federal or state benefits, have a diet-impacted disease (examples listed include kidney disease, heart failure, diabetes, COPD, or other Secretary-designated conditions), live at home at discharge or rescreening, not be in extended care or hospice, be limited in at least two activities of daily living, and meet other high readmission-risk rules the Secretary sets. Hospitals in the pilot would provide at least two medically tailored meals per day meeting at least two-thirds of daily nutrition for at least a 12-week period, with medical nutrition therapy for at least 12 weeks and up to one year. Hospitals must screen patients at discharge with approved tools and re-screen qualified people every 12 weeks, and they must provide qualified clinical staff to run the services.
Medicare pilot for home-delivered meals
If enacted, this bill would create a 6-year Medicare Part A pilot for medically tailored home-delivered meals. The pilot would start no later than 30 months after enactment. The Secretary must select at least 40 eligible hospitals by June 30, 2027, subject to available funding. Payments for the pilot would come from the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, and the Secretary would reduce certain inpatient (section 1886(d)) hospital payments so the yearly reductions equal the program payments that year.
Pilot payments and data reporting
If enacted, the Secretary would set the form, manner, and amount of payments to hospitals for pilot services and must consider what other payers pay for similar food services. Participating hospitals would be required to submit data the Secretary specifies. The Secretary would monitor claims and other data and must issue an interim evaluation within 3 years of implementation and a final evaluation within 8 years. Reports must examine admissions, diagnosis groups, post-acute care reasons, total Part A spending, clinical outcomes, patient experience, hospital payment information, and comparisons to similar beneficiaries not in the pilot.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]
MA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Malliotakis, Nicole [R-NY-11]
NY • R
Sponsored 9/17/2025
Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1]
ME • D
Sponsored 9/17/2025
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
PA • R
Sponsored 9/17/2025
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
PA • D
Sponsored 9/17/2025
Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7]
AL • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4]
WI • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Sponsored 10/10/2025
Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26]
NY • D
Sponsored 10/10/2025
Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]
NY • D
Sponsored 10/31/2025
Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8]
MA • D
Sponsored 10/31/2025
Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37]
CA • D
Sponsored 11/18/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 11/18/2025
Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1]
WA • D
Sponsored 11/18/2025
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 11/19/2025
Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]
MA • D
Sponsored 11/20/2025
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 11/20/2025
Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]
IN • D
Sponsored 12/1/2025
Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/1/2025
Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4]
MN • D
Sponsored 12/1/2025
Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4]
CA • D
Sponsored 12/15/2025
Rep. Garbarino, Andrew R. [R-NY-2]
NY • R
Sponsored 12/15/2025
Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8]
MD • D
Sponsored 2/2/2026
Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9]
TN • D
Sponsored 3/12/2026
Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3]
KS • D
Sponsored 4/27/2026
Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5]
GA • D
Sponsored 6/3/2026
Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15]
NY • D
Sponsored 6/8/2026
Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1]
OR • D
Sponsored 6/8/2026
Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]
VA • D
Sponsored 6/23/2026
Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]
NY • R
Sponsored 6/23/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 6/23/2026
Rep. Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9]
OH • D
Sponsored 8/20/2026
Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3]
OR • D
Sponsored 9/8/2026
Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2]
NC • D
Sponsored 9/10/2026
Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24]
CA • D
Sponsored 9/10/2026
Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12]
FL • R
Sponsored 10/1/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov