Earlier this month, Medicaid changes and new SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, costs took effect in North Carolina, which will have a big impact on our state.
Medicaid provides health insurance coverage to over three million North Carolinians, and SNAP helps more than one million North Carolinians put food on the table, as 1.7 million North Carolinians experience hunger every year.
Trump’s Big Ugly Bill, or H.R. 1, is the catalyst for these harmful changes to SNAP and Medicaid. Last year, the bill that made significant cuts to crucial initiatives was signed into law, and our state is still feeling its aftershocks.
Starting October 1st, North Carolina taxpayers began paying an additional $85 million dollars a year to keep the SNAP program afloat as 75% of SNAP funding is now in the hands of the state. However, the change does not affect the food benefits SNAP recipients receive.
Additionally, the law changes how SNAP benefits will be funded beginning on October 1, 2027, and our state will be responsible for paying up to 15% of benefit costs, which means that North Carolina could be paying $140 million or more each year.
The changes to SNAP could lead to many people losing their benefits completely. This comes as SNAP enrollment has dropped by 110, 129 people since September 2025.
Food pantries across the state have seen an uptick in patrons due to the Big, Ugly Bill as North Carolinians are seeking relief from food insecurity. The effects of Medicaid and SNAP changes have come full circle as people navigate these issues.
“We’re seeing people who are working two or three jobs but don’t have any type of safety … net at all, so they get a flat tire. They’re at a pantry. They have an extra medical bill. They have to go to the food pantry,” said Leslie Loyd, CEO of A Simple Gesture, a nonprofit in Guilford County combating food insecurity.
Regarding Medicaid, anti-immigrant changes have begun on October 1st, as many people who are not U.S. citizens will lose their Medicaid coverage due to stricter eligibility requirements. Moreover, stricter work requirements make it harder for many under the coverage of Medicaid to keep up. Starting next year on Jan. 1, many adults ages 19 to 64 will have to work, attend school, volunteer, or participate in another qualifying activity for at least 80 hours a month to keep Medicaid coverage, unless they are exempt, and will have to renew their eligibility every six months instead of once a year.
Changes to SNAP and Medicaid affect millions of North Carolina residents and their ability to access food and healthcare. We must keep our fingers on the pulse of these harmful changes, support local food banks/pantries, and keep the conversation going about the Trump administration’s disregard for the health and well-being of all North Carolinians.
