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If you feel like every time you go to the grocery store, you end up having to pay more money for less food, you’re not alone. Recent inflation and supply chain pressures have pushed up the prices of many items at supermarkets around the country.
These increases can be difficult for anyone to manage, but for seniors on fixed incomes, the rising cost of food can be especially challenging.
Enter the Medicare grocery allowance, a benefit that may help offset some of the costs of healthy foods.
Is the Medicare Grocery Allowance Real?
For seniors struggling to make ends meet, the concept of a grocery allowance connected to their Medicare benefits is appealing – and it is, in fact, real. However, it’s not available with every plan.
Which Medicare Plans Have a Grocery Benefit?
- Chronic Condition SNPs (C-SNPs): Designed for people who have chronic illnesses such as diabetes or congestive heart failure.
- Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs): A special needs plan for beneficiaries who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid.
Who Is Eligible for a Grocery Allowance?
Not everyone will qualify for a Medicare grocery allowance, even if they have a Medicare Advantage plan that includes this option.
“The commercials and telemarketers make it seem like everyone qualifies,” Pogue says, but the grocery allowance is usually only offered to those with special needs plans, such as D-SNPs.
If you’re not sure what you might be eligible for, it’s best to talk with a local licensed agent who can help you wade through the options to pick the best Medicare coverage.
How Does the Medicare Advantage Grocery Allowance Work?
In most cases, enrollees receive a prepaid card, often called a Medicare food card. Your grocery allowance is typically credited to the card on a monthly basis, says Whitney Stidom, vice president of Medicare operations with eHealth Inc., a health insurance broker and online resource provider headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
The card makes it easy to pay for groceries at the store, but don’t confuse this card with a Medicare flex card that some Medicare Advantage plans also offer, advises Bob Rees, chief sales officer with eHealth, Inc.
The Medicare flex card is a prepaid card that you can use to pay for certain health care services and products, such as hearing aids, eyeglasses and over-the-counter medications. The concept of using a Medicare flex card at the store to cover your expenses is similar to the grocery allowance but follows different rules.
What Is the Average Medicare Grocery Allowance?
The dollar value of the Medicare grocery allowance varies from plan to plan, but Stidom says a typical range is between $25 and $200 or more per month. Some unscrupulous marketers try to make it sound like the dollar value is significantly higher, but the benefit is typically fairly modest.
Still, any added funds can make a difference in your ability to pay for healthy foods, so for some seniors, this allowance is a big deal. The allowance also needs to be used within the month – the money doesn’t typically roll over from one month to the next, Stidom says. In other words, use it or lose it.
What Can I Buy With the Medicare Grocery Allowance?
You can use this grocery story allowance for essential and healthy food items, Stidom says, including:
Because the benefit is intended to support healthy living, there are some items you might find at the grocery store that the allowance won’t cover, Stidom adds. Excluded items include:
- Alcohol.
- Tobacco.
- Desserts.
- Pet supplies and other non-food items.
Should You Get a Medicare Advantage Plan With a Grocery Allowance?
If making ends meet and affording healthy food is a challenge, it might be worth enrolling in a Medicare Advantage Plan that includes a grocery allowance. You’ll need to weigh whether that benefit is worth the premium cost of the plan or if you can enroll in a different plan that lowers your out-of-pocket costs elsewhere so you can purchase healthy food.
And keep in mind that the grocery benefit is not part of original Medicare. If someone is trying to offer you a debit card for groceries, it’s probably a scam.
Other Options for Help With Food Expenses
The Medicare grocery allowance isn’t the only option for seniors who need help affording good quality foods. Stidom also recommends:
- Meals on Wheels America: Meals on Wheels is a long-standing network of more than 5,000 community-based programs across the United States that provide meals to homebound seniors. The organization feeds more than 2 million seniors every year and provides important social interaction from volunteers in the community.
- SNAP: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program offers food benefits to low-income families to help them afford nutritious food. The National Council on Aging reports that the SNAP program helps about 5 million older adults afford the healthy food they need.
FAQs
No. Medicare Supplement Insurance, also called Medigap, is extra insurance that seniors can purchase through a private health insurance company to offset some of the out-of-pocket costs of original Medicare (Parts A and B). You can only buy Medigap if you’re enrolled in original Medicare. The grocery benefit is only available with some Medicare Advantage plans, not original Medicare.
To qualify for a Medicare grocery benefit, you must be enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan or a Special Needs Plan that offers this type of benefit. Individuals with certain health conditions, such as those with diabetes, cancer, heart disease and kidney disease, among other chronic conditions, may qualify for this benefit. Some Medicare Advantage plans also make meal delivery benefits available to members after they’ve been in the hospital or a nursing home.
Check your plan for details about where you can use your Medicare food card to buy groceries. Not all retailers accept them, and your plan may limit the locations where you can use this benefit.
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