The Healthcare Costs of Food Insecurity FEEDING
AMERICA
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Food insecurity – not having adequate access to enough nutritious foods – is associated with poorer health and higher
healthcare costs.
Among food-insecure
households, reduced
access to nutritious
foods increases the
risk for poor health
and chronic diseases
like diabetes and
hypertension.
Food insecurity
increases stress and
the risk of poorer
mental health,
affecting people’s
capacity to manage
their overall health.
Food insecurity can
cause people to skip
or delay medication
refills and clinic visits-
complicating disease
self-
management and
continuing the cycle
of poor health.
In 2016, approximately $52.9 billion in healthcare costs were
associated with food insecurity among American adults and children.
Insurance payors, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders in the social service and nutrition sectors are now
investigating how addressing food insecurity can reduce healthcare costs while improving people’s health.
Feeding America is working to better understand the intersection of food insecurity and poor health for both
individuals and communities. To illustrate the healthcare costs associated with food insecurity, Feeding
America created this data visuaflevel Estimates of Health Care Costs Associated with Food insecurity.