About 12 Million Households Receive Both Medicaid and SNAP. The Reconciliation Bill Puts Them At Risk

by UB Center for Urban Studies · 07/30/2025

Estimates predict the recently passed reconciliation bill will cut Medicaid coverage for about 10.5 million people by 2034 (PDF) and lower Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for all families. On their own, these cuts will cause hardship for the families who rely on these programs, and their communities will face increased pressure on local services, charitable organizations, and health care providers.

But many families receive benefits through both programs, meaning the cuts will cause those families to lose health insurance and necessary nutrition assistance. Using 2019–23 five-year American Community Survey (ACS) data, I find that most households reporting SNAP benefit receipt also report at least one person with Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) health coverage. I also find that about one-third of households receiving Medicaid or CHIP report SNAP participation.

Overall, the ACS data show nearly 32 million households receiving Medicaid, about 15 million receiving SNAP benefits, and 12 million receiving benefits from both programs between 2019 and 2023. However, because surveys are known to undercount Medicaid and SNAP enrollment relative to administrative data, the true counts may be higher. If, using the ACS data, we assume an average household size of 2.5 people, there are roughly 30 million people receiving benefits from both programs.

By: Jonathan Schwabish

July 28, 2025

Read the full story here: Urban Institute