Ohio seniors struggling with high grocery prices and shrinking SNAP benefits are looking for any help they can get to put food on the table.
Many are turning to an unexpected source: their health insurance.
Through Medicare, some Cleveland seniors get what they call “food cards” or “over-the-counter cards.”
Sometimes, these cards don’t just help pay for food. They may also help with rent, utilities or phone bills.
Below, residents can learn more about how to qualify for this benefit through Medicare — and what the ‘catches’ of them might be.
Plans often heavily market these cards as money going back into consumers’ pockets. But there are many other factors to consider when deciding what insurance plan to choose, experts said. For example, you may still have to pay a monthly premium or for your medications. Each plan may also limit which doctors or healthcare systems residents can visit.
“People who are trying to figure out what’s best for them … need to look carefully. Because it’s a lot of marketing,” said Emily Campbell, the president and chief executive officer for the Center for Community Solutions, a Cleveland-based nonpartisan public policy think tank.
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What insurance plans offer these benefit cards?
These benefits are typically available through Medicare, an insurance program available to people 65 and older as well as to some people with disabilities.
There are two different types of Medicare.
“Original” Medicare is government-run. It’s accepted by most doctors in the country. It offers hospital and medical insurance, but no coverage for dental or vision.
The other type is called Medicare Advantage. These plans are run by private companies who contract with the government. They can offer extra benefits, like dental and vision. The companies pay for these benefits by cutting costs in other areas, such as limiting the doctors or hospitals that accept the insurance plan or requiring prior authorization for certain medical procedures.
Only Medicare Advantage plans offer pre-loaded cards that can be spent on food, rent or utilities.
So does everyone with a Medicare Advantage plan get money for food and rent?
No.
The way Medicare Advantage works is that residents have to choose a health insurance plan. That can be overwhelming. In Ohio this year, there are 212 Medicare Advantage plans.
Not all plans offer cards that can be used for food or rent, said Becky Hayward, an outreach and education supervisor for Ohio’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program. It’s up to the plan whether to offer them.
There are some plans that are far more likely to offer support for food and rent. These are called “special needs” plans. People who receive Medicaid in addition to Medicare can get a special needs plan. So can people with certain chronic conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia or stroke.
So if I’m in a plan that advertises food or rental support, I get that money, right?
No, not quite…
Insurance plans call these cards “special supplemental benefits for the chronically ill.” In addition to food and rent, these benefits also commonly include meals, transportation, pest control, indoor air quality equipment and more.
Due to federal rules, these benefits are only supposed to be available to chronically ill people who also:
- Have one or more chronic medical condition that is life threatening or significantly limits the overall health or function of the enrollee
- Have a high risk of hospitalization or other adverse health outcomes and
- Require intensive care coordination
How can a resident prove that they meet all of these criteria?
In previous years, “some plans were just asking enrollees whether they had a chronic illness and that was enough,” said Meredith Freed, a senior policy manager with KFF’s program on Medicare policy.
That’s likely changing this year due to new rules from the federal government. Now, insurance companies must use “an objective process” to determine eligibility, Freed said. That could look like reviewing enrollees’ past medical history. This year, each Medicare Advantage plan is supposed to publicly post the criteria they will use to determine whether an enrollee qualifies for the benefits.
I’m going through open enrollment. How do I find whether potential plans offer food and rental support?
Medicare.gov — the site where residents choose insurance coverage — does not show many details about how much supplemental benefits like food and rental assistance each plan offers. That’s been a frustration in the past, Freed said.
She recommends checking different plans’ “evidence of coverage” documents to see the dollar amount they are offering and the criteria each plan will use to determine whether a resident qualifies. These documents can be found on each plan’s website, which are linked on the Medicare.gov website.
There are also resources to help seniors navigate the open enrollment process, including 1-800-MEDICARE and Ohio’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program. This offers free and unbiased one-on-one counseling for people eligible for Medicare. The phone number is 800-686-1578.
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I’m enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. How do I find out whether my plan offers food and rental support?
You can check your plan’s evidence of coverage documents for special supplemental benefits for the chronically ill. For those already enrolled in Medicare Advantage, your plan is supposed to send you evidence of coverage every year, usually in the fall. Similarly, each plan is supposed to send an annual notice of change each fall, which details how coverage will look different in the next year. That should include whether there’s any changes to the food, rent or other special benefits.
You can also call the member services number on the back of your insurance card to check and see whether the plan has a benefit like this and whether you are eligible for it, Freed said.
How much are the benefits for?
Each plan can offer different amounts, Freed said.
But here are a few examples. The following were only offered to residents enrolled in Ohio’s 2026 MyCare program, which is for people who receive both Medicaid and Medicare:
- Anthem offered $240 a month that any member could spend on over-the-counter products, as well as on assistive and safety devices. Residents who qualified as chronically ill could also spend that money on healthy foods and utilities.
- CareSource offered $287 a month that any member could spend on over-the-counter items as well as dental, vision and hearing care. Residents who qualified as chronically ill could also spend the card on food, utilities, rent, pest control, pet care and more.
- Molina offered $230 monthly for over-the-counter drugs and supplies. The card can also be used on groceries, transportation and utilities if the member has certain chronic conditions.
Open enrollment for 2027 begins Oct. 15 and may bring new regulations on how residents can spend the money, especially as the federal government adds new rules. For example, a spokesperson for CareSource wrote in an email that next year plans must “assess eligibility for individual SSBCI benefits” — such as food, rent, transportation, pest control, etc. Right now, CareSource allows enrollees who qualify as chronically ill to spend their benefits on any of those items, not just specific ones.
“The total allowable spending will not change, but the benefits available to a member may vary based on clinical criteria,” wrote Vicki McDonald, the director of media relations for CareSource.
Are there any downsides or ‘catches’?
Mostly, experts warn residents to avoid placing too much emphasis on a food, produce or rent benefit when deciding which health insurance to choose.
“It’s more important that they are aware that their doctors are in-network and their providers are in the network and their drugs are covered,” Hayward said.
The cards have a couple other features to be aware of. Often — though not always — the money expires at the end of the month. There also may be limits on where residents can use their cards.
“We’ve heard of … smaller grocery stores having trouble accepting these cards,” Freed said.
Additionally, the federal government will soon add more guardrails on how residents can spend their cards on food and produce. Technically, these cards are only supposed to be spent on healthy foods, but that hasn’t always been strictly enforced, Freed said. Starting next year, the federal government is asking Medicare Advantage plans to verify in real time that the items residents are buying are eligible. Freed isn’t sure what this will look like in practice, though.
Does receiving this benefit count against me when I apply for SNAP?
No, it doesn’t. In December of 2024, the federal government instructed state agencies to exclude Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits when determining income for SNAP purposes.
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