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SCR 160

Medically supportive food.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Akilah Weber Pierson

SCR 160 urges DHCS to use ILOS to require Medi-Cal plans to sustain broad medically supportive food services, with aim to make them permanent benefits.

Set for hearing May 11.
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SCR 160

Summary: SCR 160 (2025-2026) — Medically Supportive Food

1) Purpose and Intent

  • SCR 160 is a California Senate Concurrent Resolution introduced by Senator Weber Pierson.
  • The resolution calls on state health authorities to sustain and expand medically supportive food and nutrition services for Medi-Cal patients using federal In Lieu of Services (ILOS) authority until these services become permanent Medi-Cal benefits.
  • The overarching aim is to advance health equity and reduce diet-related chronic diseases by ensuring access to "food as medicine" interventions.

2) Key Provisions and Changes Advocated

As a concurrent resolution, SCR 160 does not itself enact new law but communicates legislative intent and policy directions. The principal requests and declarations include:

  • Expansion and Sustained Availability via ILOS: Directs the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to utilize ILOS authority to require Medi-Cal managed care plans to prioritize and maintain a broad spectrum of medically supportive food and nutrition services (e.g., medically tailored meals, medically tailored groceries, medically supportive groceries, produce prescriptions, healthy food vouchers, food pharmacy, and nutrition education) for Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
  • Temporary to Permanent Transition: Emphasizes that these services should eventually become permanent Medi-Cal benefits, rather than optional offerings left to voluntary participation by managed care plans.
  • Quality and Accessibility Standards: Urges managed care plans to ensure uninterrupted access to a wide range of services, contract with community-based nonprofit providers, maintain appropriate and up-to-date reimbursement rates, and prioritize sourcing from California organic and regenerative farms.
  • Sourcing and Equity Goals: Encourages procurement from California regenerative and organic farms, including those operated by socially disadvantaged or beginning farmers and ranchers, aligning health initiatives with climate, economic, and equity objectives.
  • Transparency and Evaluation: Calls for ongoing data collection, regular updates to implementation guidance, publication of evaluation reports, and active stakeholder engagement to inform policy and implementation improvements.
  • Administrative Transparency: Requests the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of the resolution to the Governor, DHCS, Medi-Cal managed care plans, and the author for distribution.

3) Who/What Would Be Affected

  • Medi-Cal Beneficiaries: The primary population targeted by these changes would be Medi-Cal enrollees who could access medically supportive food and nutrition interventions.
  • DHCS and Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans: State health department guidance and plan contracts would be affected, as plans would be directed to offer and sustain a comprehensive set of medically supportive food services under ILOS priority.
  • Community-Based Providers: Nonprofit and community-based organizations delivering medically supportive food services would be key partners, with possible impacts on contracting and reimbursement structures.
  • California Farmers and Food Systems: Increased emphasis on sourcing from California regenerative and organic farms, with potential economic effects for farmers and related supply chains.

4) Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Status and Schedule: SCR 160 was introduced on April 13, 2026, with actions indicating a hearing set for April 29, 2026. Latest action shows referral to the Health Committee in April 2026.
  • Nature of Action: As a Senate Concurrent Resolution, it expresses legislative intent and requests actions by executive agencies (DHCS) and managed care plans; it does not create new statutory mandatories by itself but could guide future legislation or guidance to formalize coverage as permanent Medi-Cal benefits.

5) Context and Rationale (Digest Highlights)

  • Diet-related health conditions contribute to disparities and higher health care costs; medically supportive food is framed as a cost-effective, clinically beneficial set of interventions.
  • California has previously included such services under CalAIM on a voluntary basis; SCR 160 argues for converting these into permanent benefits and ensuring they are consistently available to patients.
  • Evidence cited in the digest suggests reductions in inpatient, outpatient, and ER costs through medically supportive food programs in California and other states.

This summary provides the bill’s aims, what it requests, who it affects, and how it would function within the current Medi-Cal framework if adopted.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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