Showing posts with label Heart Attacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heart Attacks. Show all posts

Monday, July 1, 2019

What If Medicare Covered Healthy Food?

Subsidizing fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods under Medicare and Medicaid could prevent millions of cases, as well as deaths from, cardiovascular disease, according to a new model. It would prevent hundreds of thousands of diabetes cases, as well, and save billions of dollars in healthcare costs.”
This would work by having doctors prescribe healthy foods---fruits, vegetables, etc.---and having insurers (Medicare & Medicaid) help pay for them.
A new study found that “subsidizing fruits and vegetables would prevent 1.93 million cardiovascular events, like heart attacks, and 350,000 deaths from the conditions. 
Subsidizing fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods would prevent 3.28 million cardiovascular events, 620,000 deaths, and 120,000 cases of diabetes. 
The fruits and vegetables program would save nearly $40 billion in healthcare costs, and the addition of other healthy foods would save over $100 billion."
Go here to learn more: