Millions of Americans are set to lose access to food benefits starting Saturday because of the government shutdown, with at least 25 states telling recipients they won’t receive checks for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in November. Health care experts warn that families will be forced to go hungry or make impossible choices between groceries and other basic needs like rent and medication, with potentially dire consequences.
“People can die” from even short gaps in nutrition and food access, said Lindsay Allen, a health economist at Northwestern University. She notes that people with diet-sensitive chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease rely on SNAP to buy nutritious food that helps them manage their conditions. Diabetes rates, for example, are higher among lower-income Americans, affecting 13% of people who live below the federal poverty level.
