Dear Friends,
Over the past several months, my office has heard from more and more residents seeking help with food assistance, housing costs, and health care. People are very much feeling the pressure of elevated gas prices and inflation and, for some, it is having drastic impacts on their ability to live safe and healthy lives. As federal changes to programs impacting food aid and healthcare access begin to take effect, I want to make sure you understand what is changing, how those changes may affect you or your family, and where you can turn for help.
H.R. 1, also known as the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” made significant changes to programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. Some SNAP changes are already in effect, while additional changes to Medicaid are scheduled to begin over the next few months.
I have serious concerns about the impact these changes could have on people in our community who are already struggling with rising costs, particularly those who rely on these programs to afford groceries, health care and other necessities. A priority of mine is making sure you have accurate information about what is changing, when those changes take effect important considerations to preserve your access to benefits and what resources are available to help you.
As always, my office is here to help connect you with state programs and services. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact my office during our regular hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We are here to be a resource for you.
SNAP Changes
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the country’s largest nutrition assistance program. In 2025, it helped more than 42 million Americans afford food. In 2026, the program contracted to serve 36 million Americans. You can read an interesting article on the cuts from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities here. Over time, HR 1 is expected to cause over half of previously qualifying families, including hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania families to lose some or all of their SNAP benefits.
Pennsylvania has already implemented several changes to SNAP eligibility and benefits, and more are expected to come. Work requirements were expanded to include adults ages 18 through 64 and parents or caretakers of dependent children age 14 or older, who are considered physically and mentally able to work. Certain exemptions for veterans and former foster youth also ended. Approximately 112,000 SNAP recipients were affected by the expanded work requirements.
Changes to heating and shelter utility allowances also reduced SNAP benefits for approximately 72,000 households. Overall, Pennsylvania DHS reports that approximately 89,000 Pennsylvanians have lost SNAP benefits since September 1, 2025.
The law also shifts a greater share of SNAP’s administrative costs to states. Beginning October 1, 2026, states will be responsible for 75% of SNAP administrative costs, up from 50%, while the federal share will decrease from 50% to 25%. Beginning October 1, 2027, states will also be required to contribute toward the cost of SNAP benefits themselves, a responsibility currently covered entirely by the federal government. If states cannot absorb those costs through their budgets, they may face difficult choices about reducing access to SNAP or making cuts elsewhere.
The changes will have significant nationwide impact, particularly on people who may already face barriers to employment and financial stability. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that, in a typical month, expanding work requirements to adults through age 64 will result in approximately 800,000 older adults losing SNAP benefits. Many older adults face health conditions that can make working difficult, as well as age-related barriers to finding or maintaining employment. Lowering the child exemption age from 18 to 14 is expected to affect another 300,000 parents, grandparents and other caregivers who may have significant caregiving responsibilities while trying to meet work requirements.
The law also eliminates exemptions for more than 300,000 veterans, people experiencing homelessness and young adults who recently aged out of foster care, populations that can face significant challenges finding stable employment and housing. Finally, limits on states’ ability to waive work requirements in areas with limited job opportunities are expected to result in approximately 1 million additional adults losing SNAP benefits in a typical month. For people already struggling to afford groceries and other basic necessities, losing food assistance can create an additional financial burden and make it harder to meet their basic needs.
Medicaid Changes
Medicaid is the country’s largest public health insurance program, providing coverage to more than 73 million people nationwide as of May 2026. It serves children, pregnant people, parents, older adults with limited incomes, people with disabilities and others who rely on Medicaid for access to essential health care. The program covers a broad range of services, including doctor visits, hospital care, prescription drugs, maternity care, mental health services, rural health care, and long-term care.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that H.R. 1 will reduce Medicaid enrollment by approximately 12.9 million people by 2034 and increase the number of people without health insurance by between 7.5 and 10 million. These changes will be phased in over the coming years, with some of the most significant eligibility and enrollment changes beginning in October 2026 and January 2027.
Beginning October 1, 2026, changes to immigration eligibility will take effect. Many lawfully present immigrants who currently qualify for federally funded Medicaid will no longer be eligible, including refugees, people granted asylum or humanitarian parole, certain survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault, and other immigrants with protected statuses. Undocumented immigrants were already ineligible for federally funded Medicaid under prior law and are not newly affected by this specific provision.
Beginning January 1, 2027, new work and community engagement requirements will take effect for around 800,000 Pennsylvania Medicaid recipients. Adults ages 19 through 64 who do not have a dependent child under age 14 will generally need to demonstrate that they are meeting or exempt from new work requirements.
Those subject to the requirements will generally need to complete at least 80 hours per month of work, school, volunteering, community service or job training. Individuals may also meet the requirement if their household income is at least $580 per month.
There are exemptions for a range of circumstances, including caring for a child under 14, pregnancy and postpartum status, disability, certain veteran and tribal statuses, substance use disorder treatment, recent incarceration, former foster care status and medical frailty. Temporary hardship exemptions may also be available in certain circumstances. Importantly, people who qualify for an exemption will still need to report that exemption to Pennsylvania DHS.
Medicaid renewals will also become more frequent. Beginning in 2027, some adults ages 19 through 64 will have to renew their Medicaid every six months instead of once a year. Applicants and recipients will need to provide information demonstrating that they meet the work requirement or qualify for an exemption when they apply or renew. Retroactive Medicaid coverage will also be shortened, from three months to one month for Medicaid expansion adults and to two months for other Medicaid recipients.
These additional reporting requirements are particularly concerning because losing Medicaid does not necessarily mean someone is no longer eligible for health coverage. People can lose coverage because they do not receive a notice, cannot complete paperwork on time, have difficulty providing required documentation or encounter delays in processing or simply lack the ability to understand or complete the paperwork. During the unwinding of the COVID-era continuous coverage requirements, many people lost Medicaid for procedural reasons rather than because they were determined to be ineligible.
The increased frequency of renewals and new reporting requirements will create a significant administrative challenge for states. Increasing the workload of Medicaid agencies with frequent renewals, will increase administrative costs for states. Like many other states, there already concerns about how we will implement the administrative burdens of HR 1. The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has begun notifying nearly 700,000 Pennsylvanians about the new requirements. DHS has emphasized that people who are affected will need to take action to report their work status or exemption and complete their renewals to maintain coverage.
Medicaid is more than an insurance card. It is what allows a child to see a doctor, a pregnant mother to receive prenatal care, a person with a disability to access needed services, or an older adult to afford long-term care and medications. As these changes take effect, I am concerned about the consequences for people in our communities who depend on Medicaid for access to the care they need. My office will continue to help residents understand these changes, connect with available resources and navigate state programs and services.
Outreach to Recipients
Pennsylvania DHS is conducting outreach to Medicaid expansion recipients through mail, text messages and automated calls. If you currently receive SNAP or Medical Assistance, please open and respond promptly to every notice you receive from your County Assistance Office or the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, even if you believe the notice does not apply to you or that you qualify for an exemption. Make sure your address is up to date with both DHS and the U.S. Postal Service, and consider signing up for text messages and electronic notices. Keeping your information current and responding to requests for documentation can help prevent an avoidable loss of benefits. Many services can be completed online through COMPASS.
How We Can Help
If you receive Medical Assistance or SNAP and are unsure how these changes may affect you or your family, please reach out to my office. We can help answer questions, connect you with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and assist with applications for benefits. If you need help applying for SNAP or Medical Assistance, please call my office at (610) 277-3230 or reply to this email to schedule an appointment.
If you have an immediate health care need and are uninsured or have lost coverage, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) may be an option. FQHCs are community-based health centers that provide comprehensive primary and preventive care, including to people who are uninsured or have limited ability to pay. Many offer services on a sliding-fee scale based on income. You can use the FQHC and free clinic locator to find a health center or free clinic near you and learn more about the services it provides.
For a medical emergency, always seek emergency care. Emergency departments are required to provide an appropriate medical screening examination and stabilizing treatment for emergency medical conditions regardless of a person's ability to pay (they will however still bill you for the cost of your treatment).
DHS has begun notifying Pennsylvanians about these changes by mail, text and automated calls. DHS will never ask you to provide personal or benefits information by text. If you receive a notice or have questions about how these changes may affect your benefits, please do not hesitate to contact my office. We are here to help you understand your options and connect you with the resources available to you.