Blue Cross NC Initiatives Seek to Address Food Insecurity

April 21, 2021
The fact that more than 600,000 North Carolinians struggle to put food on the table leads to an increase in chronic health conditions

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina says it is doubling down on its efforts to improve individual and community health outcomes with an initial focus on food security.

The focus on food security comes at a time when more than 600,000 North Carolinians are struggling to put food on the table and North Carolina maintains its ranking as the nation’s 10th-hungriest state. Studies show that a lack of food security leads to an increased risk of chronic health conditions. Not only does this increase the healthcare costs for the individual directly impacted, it also overtaxes local resources and drives up costs for everyone.

Here are some of the new initiatives Blue Cross NC is launching:

• Blue Cross NC is working with Benefits Data Trust (BDT), Manna Food Bank, Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC to increase enrollment in Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The collaboration is designed to raise awareness of the program, destigmatize participation, reduce barriers to enrollment and provide support through the enrollment process.

• A separate prescription-based food purchasing program, Eat Well, which is led by Durham-based Reinvestment Partners, provides eligible members with a monthly benefit stipend, which can be used to purchase fresh, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables without added sugar or salt.

For Medicare and Medicaid members:

• The post-discharge meal program offers eligible Blue Medicare Advantage members meal services tailored to their individual health and nutritional needs after their acute hospital stay.

• Blue Cross NC’s Medicaid managed care plan, Healthy Blue, offers value-added services for qualifying members, including three months of fresh vegetables and fruits for members with a diagnosis of obesity or diabetes (up to $40 monthly value).

Improving health for members with chronic conditions:

• The Food Delivery/Health Coaching model offers eligible members with type 2 diabetes who are also experiencing food insecurity one-on-one nutrition health coaching and healthy food delivery through Pack Health.

• The Virta Health program aims to reverse type 2 diabetes for members through an innovative virtual care model that offers online access to a nutrition health coach and on-demand nutritional resources.

Beyond creating new programs and value-added services, the insurer is also measuring their impact. This research will identify which steps will be effective long-term strategies for eliminating health disparities, strengthening communities, developing impactful member products and reducing health care costs for North Carolinians.

“We recognize that access to healthy food drives our whole health, so we’re being strategic to help more individuals get better access to nutrition and the other resources they need to achieve their best health,” said Blue Cross NC President and CEO Tunde Sotunde, M.D., M.B.A, in a statement.

Besides the focus on food, Blue Cross NC is evolving its efforts to address other critical drivers of health, including social isolation, transportation and housing.

In collaboration with Papa Inc., Blue Cross NC is addressing interconnected drivers of health, specifically transportation, social isolation and food security by providing eligible members with on-demand companionship and assistance with everyday tasks, including transportation to doctors’ appointments and grocery delivery.

So far, more than 2,000 members are enrolled in these test models. Data measures from most of these programs will help shape informed decisions about which approaches should be continued or scaled up – laying the framework for more large-scale efforts and allowing for greater diversity in future collaborations to address drivers of health.

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