Food is medicine: Managing health with nutrition
An expert's perspective on the food is medicine approach and its impact
Across the country, Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies are thinking outside of the box, developing innovative approaches to help members live healthier lives. In states like West Virginia, where rates of diabetes, hypertension and food insecurity are among the highest in the country, the focus on factors such as the role of nutrition and a healthier lifestyle continues to grow.
In this Q&A, Nebeyou Abebe, Senior Vice President at Highmark Health, shares how his team is addressing food insecurity and chronic disease through a scalable, community-based model. In West Virginia, the Highmark BCBS program is helping people navigate barriers like the rising cost of fresh food and transportation. This work highlights how a simple intervention like a “healthy food card” can support the adoption of healthier behavior changes and improvements in quality of life.
With chronic diseases like diabetes accounting for 90 percent of U.S. health care costs, can nutrition be part of the solution?
One in four health care dollars in the U.S. is spent on diabetes care. A lot of our health care spend is tied to chronic conditions that are diet related. If we’re serious about controlling health care costs, we need to focus more on upstream factors that impact downstream costs.
I believe that food is medicine. It affects our physical abilities, our overall quality of life, and some say it can even affect our mood.
We’ve seen in the literature that addressing food insecurity may help reduce health care costs by over 20 percent. That’s because if patients are healthier overall, there may be fewer people who end up in emergency rooms or inpatient care due to diet-related issues.
Eating the right types of food can help people better manage existing conditions. That leads to better health outcomes and makes insurance more affordable because we’re spending less on treating chronic conditions.
How do food-based interventions support healthier communities, especially in rural areas like West Virginia?
West Virginia has one of the highest rates of food and nutrition insecurity in the country—around 13–14 percent. But this isn’t just a West Virginia issue. It's a public health challenge that’s true across the United States.
We designed a comprehensive program that starts in the health care setting and then extends out into the community. Health care partners screen for food and nutrition insecurity and refer eligible participants. Those participants receive a healthy debit card to buy nutritious food for themselves and their families.
We’ve expanded our retail partnerships, so participants have choice and flexibility—75 percent live within five miles of a participating store. That kind of access is especially critical in rural areas where options are limited.
What are some of the other approaches that you've seen help members live a healthier lifestyle?
In our program, participants get access to registered dietitians and social workers who help with meal planning and connect them to other community resources. We know that if someone is food insecure, they may have other health-related social needs.
We were intentional about meeting people where they are and making sure the program is accessible to anyone who’s eligible. People are using the cards to buy healthy food, which frees up money for medications or caregiving services. It’s removing barriers and giving people hope.
What makes this program successful and scalable?
We built this program with scalability in mind. It’s a blueprint that other health plans can tailor to their local communities. We’re sharing best practices and lessons learned so other BCBS companies can implement it and generate an impact.
Part of what makes the Blues unique is our hyper-local approach. We work with community-based organizations, local and state health departments, and a diverse group of stakeholders to improve health outcomes for entire communities.
What gives you hope for the future of health care and community health?
The transformational stories from program participants keep me going. Hearing how their lives have taken off on a totally different trajectory—how they’re healthier, more hopeful, and more connected to their communities—is powerful.
We’re not focused on sick care; we’re focused on health care. We want to make healthy living more accessible. That starts with education and awareness.
There's a whole generation, my entire generation, that grew up not really making the connection between healthy living and maintaining a long-term, high quality of life. I want to make sure that I pass on what I've learned to my children, pass it on to the people I get to serve every day to ensure they're able to adopt healthier habits so they can live an abundant life. That's really what it's all about.
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About Highmark Health
Highmark Health and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
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