Analysis of Proposed Changes to SNAP Eligibility and Benefit Determination in the 2013 Farm Bill and Comparison of Cardiometabolic Health Status for SNAP Participants and Low-Income Nonparticipants

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, is conducting a health impact assessment intended to inform congressional consideration of changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) included as part of the 2013 Farm Bill reauthorization. The analysis used SNAP program data on the number of participating households and individuals and SNAP benefit amounts by month and state to estimate the potential effects of converting SNAP to a block grant program that reverts total benefits to 2008 levels. The analysis found that had state block grants been implemented in fiscal year 2012, total SNAP benefits would have been 53.6 percent lower than they were, potentially decreasing average SNAP monthly household benefits by $149.