Building Healthier Lives Through Increased SNAP Participation
A study shows that Benefits Data Trust’s outreach and application assistance significantly increased SNAP enrollment among North Carolina seniors, improving health outcomes and reducing Medicaid costs.
This fact sheet summarizes research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which found that individuals who received BDT’s outreach and assistance were 7.6 times more likely to enroll in SNAP.
The study analyzed over 115,000 North Carolina residents aged 65 and older who were eligible but not enrolled in SNAP. Enrollment was linked to fewer emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and long-term care admissions, resulting in an estimated annual Medicaid cost reduction of $2,360 per person. The findings underscore the impact of proactive benefits outreach in reducing food insecurity, improving health, and lowering government healthcare expenditures.
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