Salmon, beef, natural produce and Amy’s Kitchen meals: These are just some of the luxurious meals that California welfare recipients can have delivered to their houses each week, for free.

Californians like TikTok person “Lupita” are taking full benefit. Earlier this yr, she posted a video of herself opening a taxpayer-funded grocery field, apologizing to her manicurist as she unboxed it by hand. Inside, she discovered carrots, heads of broccoli, apples, oranges, celery, rice, lettuce and more. 

“Yesterday, I was like, ‘I need some lettuce,’ but the lettuce was like $5,” she said. “And look at this. Fresh lettuce! Thank you, God.” 

California delivers natural produce, salmon, and other luxurious meals to Medi-Cal members. Christopher F. Rufo

She can also thank Gov. Gavin Newsom. As half of his almost $12 billion Medicaid reform bundle, welfare recipients — including unlawful immigrants — can obtain free, “medically tailored” meals and groceries, delivered straight to their doorways. They can receive meals for free that would price peculiar folks a small fortune.

The meals service is half of CalAIM, Newsom’s multibillion-dollar Medi-Cal reform bundle. Signed into regulation in 2021, CalAIM directs Medicaid {dollars} to social packages like transitional lease funds and housing deposits. Newsom called it a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to completely transform the Medicaid system in California.” 

The meals service is half of CalAIM, Newsom’s multibillion-dollar Medi-Cal reform bundle. Christopher F. Rufo

The transformation is working. The most fashionable of CalAIM’s “Community Supports,” by far, is “medically tailored meals.” That program and a associated providing ship ready meals or “tailored” grocery objects to certified Medi-Cal recipients’ houses. 

Across 24 weeks, a single “medically tailored meals” recipient prices taxpayers more than $1,500. Christopher F. Rufo

The state makes eligibility simple. Applicants want a qualifying Medi-Cal card, a supplier’s suggestion, and an eligible situation. In a 2024 presentation to a Los Angeles nonprofit, Andrew Barrier, a former govt of a California medically tailor-made meals contractor, advised his viewers how simple it was to enroll.

“They’re not looking to push people away from the program, they’re really looking for people to be on it,” he said.

From there, the meals reveals up at recipients’ doorsteps. Medi-Cal pays contractors to ship the meals for up to 12 weeks, after which eligible recipients can re-enroll.

And it’s not low-cost: Across 24 weeks, between meals and supply, a single “medically tailored meals” recipient prices taxpayers more than $1,500.

About 90% of the folks receiving CalFresh, the state’s model of meals stamps, are also enrolled in Medi-Cal. Christopher F. Rufo

The meals itself drives much of the price. California contractors provide beef, hen, natural produce, and more. Over several months, these meals would price peculiar Californians a whole lot of {dollars} at the grocery retailer.

California’s medically tailor-made meal and grocery choices appear to have been impressed by the “Food Is Medicine” motion. Proponents argue that sending folks state-funded well being meals will scale back hospitalizations, in the end saving taxpayers cash.

Their view has gained some traction. Earlier this yr, a examine out of Massachusetts discovered that receiving medically tailor-made meals was related with about 31% fewer hospitalizations. In September, the House Ways and Means Committee voted unanimously to create a pilot program that would pay hospitals to present medically tailor-made meals to discharged sufferers. 

California contractors provide beef, hen, natural produce, and more. Christopher F. Rufo

But sending welfare recipients luxurious well being meals raises apparent questions. For one, what occurs after the state stops sending the meals? And is this yet another free-food initiative, atop the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)?

In California, the reply to the second query is simple: Yes. About 90% of the folks receiving CalFresh, the state’s model of meals stamps, are also enrolled in Medi-Cal.

Companies across the nation are cashing in on the Food Is Medicine motion. California-based contractors like Project FoodField and Project Open Hand have raked in hundreds of thousands of Medicaid {dollars}.

Between 2022 and 2024, corporations nationwide made almost $100 million billing Medicaid code S9977, an unspecified “meals” code that contains medically tailor-made meals. 

The nation’s greatest S9977 biller in that span, by far, was Barrier’s former firm, Project FoodField. Between 2022 and 2024, the California-based agency obtained more than $67.8 million from Medicaid. Since then, Project FoodField has opened a location in the Bronx, where it hopes to advise “families and individuals” about “community-based services.”

As middle-class households wrestle to afford groceries, California sends luxurious meals to welfare recipients. Christopher F. Rufo

Another massive biller was California-based Hunger: Not Impossible, now called Bento Health. The agency billed Medicaid more than $7.7 million and describes itself as a “service provider that connects Medicaid health-plan members with curated groceries” — in other phrases, Instacart with a private shopper. 

Bento will apparently ship luxurious meals objects to unlawful immigrants. On its web site, the firm says that eligibility for its companies “is not tied to immigration status, employment status, nationality, or any other factor other than your insurance provider’s eligibility criteria.” Bento did not reply to a remark request.

California regulation confirms this interpretation. In 2024, the state prolonged “full-scope” Medi-Cal protection to unlawful aliens. The state has since frozen illegals’ skill to signal up but permits earlier enrollees to hold their protection. Medi-Cal’s guidelines for these enrollees change next yr, but until then, illegals with “full scope” protection can entry CalAIM’s “Community Supports,” including medically tailor-made meals.

In quick, certified unlawful aliens in California can get state-funded luxurious meals containers — for free.

Amy’s Kitchen meals are some of the meals that California welfare recipients can have delivered. Christopher F. Rufo

We reached out to Project FoodField, Project Open Hand, and other medically tailor-made meals suppliers for remark, but did not obtain a response. We also contacted California’s Department of Health Care Services, which argued that the meals packages had “result[ed] in a 10.5% net cost reduction.”

The medically tailor-made meals program is increasing. Thirteen states now use federal waivers to divert funds to ship medically tailor-made meals.

In California, meantime, center class households are struggling to purchase groceries — and hold up with the price of sending luxurious meals to these on the welfare rolls.

Christopher F. Rufo is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a contributing editor of City Journal, and the creator of America’s Cultural Revolution. Madeleine Rowley is a researcher at City Journal.

Download The California Post App, comply with us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home supply: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!