Rep. Gregory F. Murphy, a North Carolina Republican and practicing physician, is pressing Medicare regulators to let private insurance plans cover healthy food as a medical intervention for seniors with chronic conditions—before those patients spiral into costly hospital care.
In a letter to Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Murphy argues that Medicare Advantage plans should be allowed to offer nutritious food as a “primarily health related” supplemental benefit. The change would apply to enrollees whose doctors determine that dietary support is medically necessary to manage conditions like diabetes or heart disease.
“We don’t need a new government program or billions in new spending,” Murphy wrote. “We just need Medicare’s rules to catch up with the evidence and give doctors the ability to intervene before their patients end up in the hospital.”
Currently, Medicare Advantage plans can provide food benefits only to a narrow group of chronically ill seniors who already have high costs—such as those at significant risk of hospitalization and requiring intensive care management. Murphy calls that approach “backwards,” noting that doctors may know nutrition could help a patient control diabetes today, but Medicare effectively forces them to wait until the patient gets sicker and more expensive to treat.
Meanwhile, he points out, Medicare Advantage plans can cover “fitness benefits” like bowling balls, Wi‑Fi, and ski passes from day one. “It’s easier to cover a bowling ball than healthy food prescribed by a doctor to manage chronic disease,” he said.
The proposal would not create an entitlement or spend additional taxpayer dollars. CMS already sends billions to Medicare Advantage plans for supplemental benefits; Murphy’s plan would simply allow plans to redirect those existing resources toward preventive nutrition rather than paying for the consequences of untreated disease.
Murphy emphasizes that this is not a broad grocery benefit. Eligible foods would be tied to official dietary guidelines and would be targeted to patients with specific chronic conditions. “Most important to me as a physician, healthy food should be available to seniors when their doctor determines it is medically necessary,” he said.
The push aligns with the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s focus on addressing chronic disease. Murphy’s letter is part of a broader effort to shift Medicare from a “sick care” system to one that truly prioritizes prevention.
For the first time in Medicare’s history, the program could formally recognize healthy food as a clinical intervention. Murphy argues that such a move would be better medicine, better stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and a healthier Medicare program.
