Providing Home- and Community-Based Nutrition Services to Low-Income Older Adults: Promising Health Plan Practices

By Stephanie Gibbs, Center for Health Care Strategies and Amy Herr, West Health Policy Center

State Medicaid agencies and Medicaid health plans increasingly recognize the importance of social support services, including nutritious food, as part of a holistic approach to addressing the needs of low-income older adults and enabling them to live independently. Medicaid health plans are especially well-positioned to identify nutrition-related needs for this population and address them through partnerships with community-based organizations.

This brief, made possible with support from the West Health Policy Center, highlights promising community-based nutrition practices for older adults used by Medicaid health plans, including: (1) investing in staff with nutrition expertise; (2) using assessment data to target nutrition-related interventions; (3) replicating best practices from other member populations; and (4) leveraging community-based resources.

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