The Biden administration has started to grant states’ requests to utilize Medicaid funding to pay for nonmedical but health-related needs like groceries and housing support in order to decrease the need for medical intervention.
In October last year, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a section 1115 demonstration initiative (pdf) for Arizona, allowing the state to use Medicaid funds to pay nonmedical expenses.
Such expenses include community and transitional housing support and rent for individuals with clinical needs or those who are transitioning out of institutional care. It also includes funding for homeless shelters, rent and temporary housing for individuals in the child welfare system, and medically tailored meals, among other things….