Bertie, Chowan, Hertford and Martin residents may qualify for weekly food deliveries under revised Medicaid program in 2027

A North Carolina Medicaid program that previously helped eligible residents obtain food, housing and transportation assistance is expected to restart early 2027, but with fewer services and stricter eligibility requirements.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, that it will relaunch the Healthy Opportunities Pilot program with approximately $25 million in state and federal funding.

Four northeastern counties — Bertie, Chowan, Hertford and Martin — are included in the pilot program, which includes 33 counties.

The program will provide weekly deliveries of healthy food boxes to qualifying Medicaid recipients who have difficulty obtaining enough food and meet certain medical requirements.

Unlike the original program, which offered assistance with housing, transportation, food and other needs, the relaunched program will provide only food assistance.

Under the revised program, participants must live in one of the designated pilot counties, receive qualifying NC Medicaid coverage and experience food insecurity.

They also must meet medical criteria involving pregnancy, diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

Meeting those requirements does not automatically guarantee enrollment. Care managers will assess Medicaid members to determine eligibility and connect qualifying participants with services.

The state has not announced an exact start date but expects services to resume in early 2027.

NCDHHS says the program will provide weekly healthy food boxes through June 30, 2027.

Four local counties included

The pilot will continue operating in the same three regions established for the original program.

In northeastern North Carolina, Access East will oversee services in Beaufort, Bertie, Chowan, Edgecombe, Halifax, Hertford, Martin, Northampton and Pitt counties.

The state’s other two regional organizations are Community Care of the Lower Cape Fear in southeastern North Carolina and Impact Health in western North Carolina.

Together, the three regions cover 33 counties.

Why the program was suspended

North Carolina launched the Healthy Opportunities Pilots in 2022 to test whether helping Medicaid recipients with needs beyond traditional medical care could improve their health and reduce health care costs.

The original program paid approved community organizations to provide services such as healthy meals, housing assistance, transportation and other support.

The program suspended operations after the General Assembly did not provide additional funding following July 1, 2025.

The newly enacted state budget provides $9 million to restart the program. Combined with federal Medicaid matching funds, approximately $25 million will be available.

That is enough to support a smaller version of the original program, according to NCDHHS.

Additional services could be considered if more funding becomes available.

State officials pointed to research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill showing that the original Healthy Opportunities program was associated with reduced health care spending and fewer hospital visits.

A study by the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research found that health care costs for participants were an average of $164 lower per month.

Participants also had fewer emergency department visits and hospital stays than researchers estimated would have occurred without the program.

Food assistance accounted for most of the services delivered during the program’s first two years.

The findings helped support the state’s decision to concentrate the relaunched program on nutrition assistance.

“We know that food is medicine,” NCDHHS Secretary Dev Sangvai said in announcing the relaunch.

State officials say improving access to nutritious food can help people manage chronic illnesses and reduce the need for more expensive medical care.

Care managers working with Medicaid health plans and other approved organizations will identify eligible participants and arrange services.

Community-based organizations, called Human Services Organizations, will deliver the food boxes.

Regional network organizations such as Access East will oversee participating service providers, while Medicaid health plans will authorize and pay for approved services.

The department said it will notify participating organizations of the official launch date at least 30 days before services begin.

Residents of Bertie, Chowan, Hertford and Martin counties who believe they may qualify can ask their Medicaid health plan or care manager about the Healthy Opportunities Pilot and whether they meet the new eligibility requirements.

More information is available through the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services at www.ncdhhs.gov.