Introduction
Being food insecure can impact many facets of health and wellbeing such as diet-related diseases, poor academic performance, and negative emotional wellbeing. In 2021, an estimated 33.7 million people, and 1 in 10 households experienced food insecurity. Food inequities and their subsequent downstream effects do not impact all populations the same. Challenges associated with hunger and diet-related diseases are more likely to impact communities of color, people living in rural areas, people living in territories, people with disabilities, older adults, LGTBQ+ individuals, military families, and Veterans. This issue brief provides a summary of innovative approaches health insurance providers have taken to address food insecurity, including launching outreach and assistance programs to enroll eligible members in federal food programs, layering benefits together to increase access and maximize impact on health outcomes, and hiring leadership staff dedicated to taking an enterprise-wide approach to addressing food insecurity.