Welfare Gets Luxury Food Boxes

California’s Medi‑Cal expansion (CalAIM) pays contractors to deliver ‘medically tailored’ prepared meals and organic groceries — including beef, salmon, and brand‑name frozen meals — to eligible recipients for up to 12 (re‑enrollable) weeks, at program costs the article cites as roughly $1,500 per recipient over 24 weeks. Enrollment depends on a Medi‑Cal card and a provider’s recommendation for a very broad list of qualifying conditions, and contractors market brand‑name and organic fare as part of these community supports. — This matters because it reframes welfare debates: how should limited social‑service dollars be targeted, who counts as eligible (including undocumented people), and how do program design choices affect fiscal sustainability and public perceptions of fairness?