• Eat Well Program to Provide Financial Assistance for over 1,600 Medicaid Members to Purchase Fruits and Vegetables

DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- WellCare of North Carolina, a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) announced today a partnership with Reinvestment Partners, a North Carolina non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing health by enrolling WellCare members in the Eat Well Program (Eat Well).

Eat Well will provide eligible WellCare Medicaid members with a prepaid credit card worth $80 a month to use for the purchase of nutritious fruits and vegetables. WellCare is planning to enroll more than 1,600 North Carolinians with complex health needs and chronic conditions in the program.

"Providing individuals with necessary funds to purchase the healthy fruits and vegetables they want allows them to live healthier lives, improves food security and gives them greater agency over their well-being," said Sam Hoeffler, Director of Food Programs at Eat Well. "In total, we anticipate that participants will purchase approximately $700,000 of fruits and vegetables through this partnership."

Eat Well reflects the state's commitment to addressing food insecurity and providing a healthier well-being for the people of North Carolina. Additionally, the Eat Well Program is part of a "Food as Medicine" approach, which provides access to a healthy, well-balanced diet in an effort to reduce chronic diseases and improve health equity.  

"WellCare is pleased to work with Reinvestment Partners to support the dual mission of enhancing the health of North Carolinians," said Frances Johnson, RN, Vice President, Population Health & Quality Improvement for WellCare of North Carolina. "For many years, we have known that addressing disease prevention through diet is an effective strategy. This partnership provides WellCare Medicaid members, who cannot afford healthy foods, with prepaid credit cards worth $80.00 a month for 6 months, to purchase fruits and vegetables at almost any grocery store in North Carolina."

Reinvestment Partners, the organization behind Eat Well, received $5M in funding from the 2022 N.C. General Assembly's budget to expand the program through partnerships and collaborations with insurance companies, healthcare providers, and other organizations to improve access to nutritious food.

About Eat Well

Eat Well  is a program of Durham, North Carolina-based nonprofit Reinvestment Partners. Reinvestment Partners developed the program to help improve the health and well-being of food-insecure people by integrating healthy food into healthcare. Eat Well provides monthly funds for fruits and vegetables to eligible patients. Healthy food prescriptions are 'Food is Medicine' interventions that can improve health, increase customer satisfaction, and lower healthcare costs. Eat Well leverages technology to distribute healthy food funds at scale.

About WellCare of North Carolina

Headquartered in Raleigh, WellCare of North Carolina provides government-sponsored managed care services to families, children, seniors, and individuals with complex needs primarily through Medicaid as one of the state's Medicaid Prepaid Health Plans (WellCare of North Carolina), Marketplace (WellCare of North Carolina by Celtic Insurance Company), Medicare Advantage (Wellcare), and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Wellcare). WellCare of North Carolina is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives. For more information, visit www.WellCareNC.com.

About Reinvestment Partners

Reinvestment Partners (RP) is a non-profit that addresses the problems of poverty and social injustice. RP works in the areas of food, housing, community development, health, and financial services. Reinvestment Partners' mission is to foster healthy and just communities by empowering people, improving places, and influencing policy.

Any reference in this press release to any person, organization, activity, or services related to North Carolina Medicaid does not constitute or imply the endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.