Humana Food Card 2027: How to Activate, Check Your Balance and What to Buy
Reviewed October 14, 2026. The Humana food card is the Humana Spending Account Card when it carries a Healthy Options Allowance that can be used for groceries. To activate your Humana card, sign in to MyHumana (MyHumana.com or the MyHumana app) before you use it for the first time; you check the balance and find participating stores in the same place. Groceries are only available to members of eligible Humana Medicare Advantage plans who meet the plan’s chronic-condition rules.
Quick answer: Humana says the Healthy Options Allowance is offered on most of its Chronic Condition (C-SNP) and Dual Eligible (D-SNP) Special Needs Plans and some other Medicare Advantage plans, starting at $25 a month. Every member with the allowance can buy eligible over-the-counter (OTC) items; members with qualifying chronic conditions can also use it for eligible groceries, utilities and rent. For 2027, check your plan’s 2027 Summary of Benefits during Open Enrollment (October 15 to December 7, 2026), because amounts change by plan and county.
What is the Humana food card?
Members often call it the Humana Healthy Foods Card or Humana grocery card. Today Humana stores the Healthy Options Allowance on the Humana Spending Account Card, a prepaid card that works only at participating retailers and billers. Unused monthly amounts roll over to the next month on many plans but end with the plan year. (Humana: Healthy Options Allowance)
It isn’t part of Original Medicare and it isn’t a Medicare-wide program. If you’ve seen ads for a “$900 Medicare grocery benefit,” read how the Medicare grocery benefit really works. For store lists and non-food uses, see our Humana Spending Account Card guide.
Humana food card 2027: what’s changing
Humana’s 2027 Medicare Advantage plans are offered in about 2,600 counties across 45 states and Washington, D.C. (Humana, October 1, 2026) Allowance amounts are set plan by plan. One example:
| Plan | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Humana Dual Integrated (HMO D-SNP) H1396-001, South Carolina | $280 a month | $295 a month |
Not every Humana plan has the allowance. For example, the 2026 Humana Value Choice H7617-010 (PPO) in the Kansas City area offers a $75 quarterly OTC mail-order allowance instead of a Healthy Options Allowance. (Humana 2026 SB, H7617-010)
CMS’s 2027 rule also requires benefit debit cards to be linked to plan-covered items in real time and limits card funds to the plan year, so 2027 balances won’t carry into 2028. (CMS CY 2027 final rule)
Who qualifies for the Humana Healthy Foods Card?
- You must be enrolled in a Humana Medicare Advantage plan that includes the Healthy Options Allowance.
- To use it for groceries, you must have a qualifying chronic condition and meet the plan’s other criteria; Humana notes that some plans require at least two conditions. (Humana: Spending Account Card)
- Members without a qualifying condition can still use the allowance for OTC items.
Humana Medicaid members get different value-added benefits; see Humana Healthy Horizons.
How to activate your Humana card
- Sign in to (or create) your MyHumana account at MyHumana.com or in the MyHumana app.
- Go to the Spending Account Card section and follow the prompts to activate the card. Humana’s FAQ says you must activate the card before you use it for the first time. (Humana Spending Account Card FAQ)
- If you can’t activate online, call the Member Services number on your Humana member ID card (TTY 711).
Older Humana food cards were sometimes managed on other websites. Use only the website or phone number printed on your current card or in MyHumana, and never give your card number to someone who calls you.
How to check your Humana food card balance
Humana says you can check your balance 24/7 in the MyHumana app or on MyHumana.com, where you can also see transactions and find participating stores. You can also call the number on the back of your card. Our guide to checking OTC card balances covers other carriers.
What can you buy with the Humana food card?
Eligible grocery categories usually include fruits and vegetables, dairy, eggs, meat, poultry and seafood, bread and grains, and pantry staples. Alcohol, tobacco and non-healthy foods are excluded under federal SSBCI rules. (42 CFR 422.102) The card can’t be used for cash or at ATMs. At checkout, the card pays only for eligible items, so keep another payment method for the rest of your order.
Where can you use it?
Only participating stores. Humana’s categories flyer names chains such as Walmart, Kroger, Publix, CVS, Walgreens and Dollar General, but participation varies by location, so use the store finder in MyHumana. See where to use your Humana Spending Account Card, using an OTC card at Walmart and whether Target accepts OTC cards.
Humana food card vs Humana OTC catalog
Some Humana plans provide OTC items by mail order or a quarterly OTC allowance instead of, or in addition to, the Healthy Options Allowance. Read Humana OTC card and catalog to see how ordering works, and Humana Medicare Advantage plans 2027 for plan types and costs. Many of the same plans include SilverSneakers; see Humana gym membership 2027.
Frequently asked questions
How do I activate my Humana Healthy Benefits card?
Activate it in MyHumana (website or app) before first use, or call the Member Services number on your Humana ID card.
How do I check the balance on my Humana card?
Use the MyHumana app or MyHumana.com any time, or call the number on the back of the card.
Does Humana have a flex card?
Humana’s version is the Spending Account Card. It holds plan allowances such as the Healthy Options Allowance; it isn’t a general flex card for any purchase.
How do I get a Humana Healthy Foods Card?
Enroll in a 2027 Humana Medicare Advantage plan that lists the Healthy Options Allowance, meet its chronic-condition rules for groceries, and Humana mails the card.
Can I use my Humana food card on Amazon?
Only if Amazon appears as a participating retailer for your plan in MyHumana. Many allowances are in-store only. See OTC cards on Amazon.
What happens to unused money?
On many plans unused monthly amounts roll over to the next month, but the balance ends at the end of the plan year.
This article is general information. Medicare365 is not affiliated with or endorsed by Humana or any U.S. government agency. Benefits vary by plan and county; check your plan’s Evidence of Coverage or call the number on your member ID card.