Accountable Produce is Medicine Act of 2026

Accountable Produce is Medicine Act of 2026 (S. 5267) would direct the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test a new "Accountable Produce is Medicine Bundled Payment Model" within 180 days of enactment. Under the model, the government would select at least five qualifying provider or supplier programs, each participating for at least two years (the model itself would run at least five years), and pay them a bundled rate through Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP to deliver services such as health risk assessments, care coordination, telehealth, remote patient monitoring, nutrition counseling, and healthy foods—prioritizing fresh produce and plant-based, nutrient-dense items sourced locally or through regenerative agriculture.

The program would affect Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP beneficiaries who live in medically underserved, rural, or health-professional-shortage areas and who have a qualifying chronic condition (such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, or malnutrition), are referred by a health provider, and are judged likely to benefit. Participants would receive these services without copays or deductibles for one year, with eligibility reassessed quarterly; those who don't engage or comply could be dropped from the program. Beginning in the model's third year, participating programs could be required to take on financial risk tied to performance.

The bill was introduced in the Senate on August 5, 2026, by Sen. Jim Banks with two cosponsors, read twice, and referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. It would need committee action, floor votes in both chambers, and the President's signature to become law.

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