Fresh Produce Deliveries Are Now a Covered Medical Benefit in Tennessee

Tennessee’s largest health insurer really wants its members to be proactive about their wellness so they stay healthy for longer. And its newest method of persuasion is all carrot (and tomatoes and apples and maybe some avocados, too). Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee is partnering with Boston-based startup FarmboxRx to deliver monthly boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables to the doors of members as an incentive for undergoing health screenings. The more health screenings they complete, the more produce they receive.

The program will specifically target medicare and medicaid members who have diabetes or who have young children, and will reward them for attending preventive health care appointments. Diabetics, for example, will be encouraged to get regular blood tests and eye exams. The hope is that this will not only make people healthier, but also expand access to fresh produce to vulnerable populations.

“This initiative for Tennessee is very much based around food insecurity,” says FarmboxRx CEO Ashley Tyrner, who founded the company in 2014. Around 14% of Tennessee’s population is food insecure, meaning they regularly lack access to nutritious, affordable food. Either these people are not eating enough at all, or they’re eating too much junk because it’s all they can get. This in itself leads to more long-term health problems, including diabetes. According to the National Institutes of Health, low-income populations are more likely to develop the disease.

FarmboxRx’s food deliveries will be diabetic-friendly, Tyrner says. “If we’re doing a diabetic box, of course we don’t want to send diabetic members anything that they really shouldn’t be eating to spike their insulin. So no starchy vegetables.”