FareRx Research · Current edition

People want food benefits.

Awareness and trust are the challenge.

Five surveys show a strong, consistent demand signal—and reveal the language, coverage, and trust barriers that can keep a wanted food benefit from being used.

The research program

We set out to understand what turns interest into participation.

This is not one omnibus poll. It is a growing set of focused consumer studies designed to answer different parts of the same benefit-design question.

The current edition combines five completed surveys. Three additional studies—each planned for at least 150 respondents—will be added as new chapters rather than replacing the source findings below.

Demand

Would people use a covered food benefit across different coverage types?

Awareness

Do they know a benefit like this can exist through health coverage?

Language

Which words make the offer clearer, more appealing, and more trustworthy?

Benefit design

Which components, trust signals, and coverage cues influence stated interest?

Next edition
3 more surveys · at least 450 more respondents
Follow the research
Demand
87.6%

Likely to use a covered food benefit.

The result stayed within two points across Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and employer/commercial samples.

Medicare Advantage
n=151
86.8%
Medicaid
n=152
87.5%
Employer / commercial
n=150
88.7%
Awareness
69.5%

Did not know—or were not sure—the benefit exists.

Among the unaware
86.8%

still said they would likely use it.

Plan choice

Consumers connect the benefit to plan value.

These are statements of intent, not observed switching or retention. They show how respondents connected food benefits with perceived plan value.

78.4%
Matters when choosing or keeping a plan
52.8%
Would be likely to switch plans to get it
72%
Would stay as long as it is offered
Language

Category language and signup language do different jobs.

“Food Is Medicine” remains useful for payer, policy, and industry conversations. Consumers responded more strongly to concrete benefit language.

51.2%
Prefer “benefit”
8.8%
Prefer “prescription”
Which line makes you most likely to sign up?

Forced choice · n=160

Eat better, feel better, spend less
42.5%
Food that helps manage your condition
27.5%
Groceries your health plan covers
21.9%
Food is medicine
8.1%
The first concept test

Warm reaction. More cautious intent.

When the original concept did not state price or coverage, respondents reacted positively—but many filled the gap with cost concerns.

This comparison is directional. The concept test and demand surveys used different samples, screeners, and stimuli.

Positive first reaction76.5%
Called the concept useful66.7%
Likely to use when cost and coverage were not stated49.4%
Methodology

How to read these findings.

FareRx commissioned five consumer-panel surveys fielded through DISQO. Public figures are aggregated; respondent-level records are not published.

Five consumer-panel surveys included 775 respondents total, with 150 to 162 respondents per survey.

The three demand surveys screened for coverage type and chronic-condition relevance. Findings describe these survey samples, not the general population.

Percentages are respondent-level calculations. Small differences between samples near 150 should be treated cautiously; a rough 95% margin of error is ±8 points.

The Medicare Advantage believability question appeared in a different order from the Medicaid and employer surveys, so that cross-segment comparison is directional only.

The concept test and demand surveys used different samples, screeners, and stimuli. Comparisons between them are directional, not a controlled experiment.

Plan choice, switching, enrollment, and continued-use results measure stated intent, not observed behavior.

Executive brief

Take the findings into your next planning conversation.

Get the concise, forwardable version: headline charts, buyer implications, survey facts, and the methodology notes your team will ask for.

Printable and ready to save as PDF

For professional follow-up about this research and FareRx partnerships. Do not include member or patient information.

For Benefit Leaders

Design a benefit people understand—and use.

FareRx brings together condition-specific food, registered-dietitian care, local delivery, and Member Hospitality. Tell us the population you want to serve and the outcomes you need to support.