Project Angel Food, one of six California nonprofits participating in the pilot, delivers Ms. Henry’s meals. In addition to providing lunch and dinner, and a nutritional guide for every meal, nutritionists show clients how to portion her meals — and when they’re ready to transition off the program, how to shop for food and cook for themselves.

Nayeli Perales, a registered dietitian with Project Angel Food, has four sessions with each client over 12 weeks. After determining her client’s dietary habits, Ms. Perales will explain the new restrictions and follow up to track progress. After clients have transitioned out of the program, Ms. Perales will make a follow-up visit to help clients make their own meals and shop for healthy food that meets their dietary restrictions. “After the program, they still will be making their own meals and will be eating out,” Ms. Perales said. “It is an overall lifestyle change.”

Most of the restrictions eliminate saturated fats and emphasize whole grains, in addition to limiting sodium and fluids. (In congestive heart failure, the body can no longer maintain an appropriate balance between sodium and water.) For lower-income patients who may often rely on canned or prepared foods, this can feel overwhelming, especially if they don’t have the means to start shopping for healthy fresh food and cooking it from scratch.

Medi-Cal patients were chosen for the pilot because in general they frequently use the health care system. Data from 2017 shows that of California Medicaid’s patients with congestive heart failure who are discharged from hospital, a third return in less than a month. Published estimates of average hospital stays for those with the condition range between five to six days, with cost estimates between $10,000 and $15,000 per stay. But self-reported statistics showed a mere 6.2 percent readmission rate after 30 days for the 404 participants enrolled in the Medi-Cal pilot, as of Sept. 30.

Because of high utilization rates associated with congestive heart failure, it was one of the conditions of most interest to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in their Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, under the Affordable Care Act. That program incrementally reduced hospital payments for frequent readmissions.