From Pandemic Pivot to Health Plan Partner
When Reneta Jenik launched her startup, Foodom, the concept was simple: bring chefs into busy families’ homes to cook healthy meals. The platform was ready to launch—then the pandemic hit. Overnight, in-home cooking services became impossible. Instead of shutting down, Reneta used the time to refine her product and study her customer base.
She discovered something surprising: the people who benefited most from Foodom’s service weren’t just busy parents—they were individuals with chronic conditions and dietary restrictions who couldn’t easily prepare their own meals.
A Chance Meeting That Changed Everything
Reneta’s turning point came at a dinner where she met Dr. David Lubarsky, then CEO of UC Davis Health. He encouraged her to bring Foodom’s services into the healthcare system to support patients—especially those undergoing treatments like chemotherapy—who often struggle to cook for themselves.
That advice, combined with research into value-based care and Medicaid’s preventive health initiatives, set Foodom on a five-year journey to integrate with health plans.
The First Win: FSA/HSA Payments
Before tackling insurance, Reneta focused on making Foodom’s meals payable through FSA (Flexible Spending Account) and HSA (Health Savings Account) cards. Finding the right backend partner took nearly a year, but once integrated, it allowed patients with conditions like diabetes to use pre-tax dollars for meal services—a lower barrier to entry and an early proof point for the model.
Breaking Into Health Plans
The bigger challenge was becoming an approved vendor for health plans. An introduction to One Community Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving 24,000 Medi-Cal patients in Sacramento, was the first breakthrough. Working with their medical team, Reneta applied to Anthem Medi-Cal, leveraging existing “medically tailored meal” billing codes to speed the approval process.
Even with those codes, it took over a year from application to first patient referrals. Along the way, Reneta navigated HIPAA compliance, billing platform integration, and reimbursement delays—while paying chefs upfront and waiting weeks for insurance payments.
Scaling Through Partnerships and Policy Resources
Today, Foodom serves patients with diabetes, heart disease, and kidney conditions, and is expanding to meet other diet-specific needs as referrals come in. Reneta is also pursuing approvals with Kaiser, HealthNet, and Molina to broaden access statewide.
She’s tapping into resources like California’s Technical Assistance Marketplace, which provides state-funded consulting to help Medi-Cal vendors streamline billing, compliance, and operations. She’s also exploring case studies—such as reducing ER visits for dialysis patients—to demonstrate Foodom’s impact and open more partnership doors.
Reneta’s Advice for Health-Focused Founders
Her guidance for other founders breaking into healthcare is straightforward:
Use Existing Billing Codes – Creating new ones is expensive and time-consuming; build on what’s recognized.
Start With FSA/HSA – It’s faster to implement and builds early traction.
Be Direct About Your Needs – Whether at networking events or mentor roundtables, be clear about the introductions or approvals you’re seeking.
Persistence Pays Off – “There’s no such thing as no—it’s just not yet.”
From a pandemic pivot to a health plan-approved provider, Reneta Jenik’s journey with Foodom shows how adaptability, networking, and persistence can transform a consumer service into a healthcare-ready solution. And for Reneta, this is only the beginning—her goal is to reach millions of patients who need healthy, home-cooked meals to support their recovery and long-term health.
