High Prices, Cuts in Programs Keep Food Insecurity Rates High for Older Adults

Food insecurity for adults 50 and older rose after the pandemic. Now, H.R. 1’s cuts to public funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are pushing millions of people out of the program and causing older adults to face increasing challenges affording sufficient food.

Post-Pandemic Food Insecurity

During the pandemic, states received extra SNAP funds and were permitted to relax some eligibility criteria as well as improve enrollment processes to ensure people had access to food. Although those pandemic-era changes have since lapsed, a recent AARP report highlights their efficacy, finding that food insecurity for older adults worsened after the pandemic from a low of 7.9% in 2021 to 10.4% in 2023 and 2024 (the last year for which there are full data).

Food Costs Rising

Groceries cost much more than they did a decade ago, with the average monthly consumer price index increasing by 41% from July of 2016 to July of 2026. Most of the increase—26%—has been within the last five years. These rising costs strain all budgets and can trigger economic insecurity for those with limited or fixed incomes.

H.R. 1’s SNAP Cuts Compounding Problem

H.R. 1 made sweeping cuts to SNAP eligibility and benefits estimated to reach 20%, or $186 billion, through 2034. The changes made include removing inflation adjustments, which will mean benefits will further fail to keep pace with high and rising prices. In addition, the law requires older adults to meet work requirements for the first time, a daunting task for many who face age discrimination.

The law requires older adults to meet work requirements for the first time, a daunting task for many who face age discrimination.

As expected, H.R. 1’s SNAP cuts and strategic administrative burdens are driving people out of the program, with approximately 5.5 million people losing SNAP since the law was passed. Exactly how many older adults have lost coverage due to the law is unclear, but data out of Texas, for example, show that Texas has seen a 14% decline in the number of people aged 60-64 receiving SNAP.

Food Insecurity Tied to Health Risks

Food insecurity is a social determinant of health, meaning that it is a non-medical factor that can affect health status. Researchers have noted the link between food insecurity and general health, dementia, heart disease, and other conditions that affect healthy lifespans and well-being.

Those struggling to afford food may also cut back on other necessities like medicine or utilities, again threatening health and well-being. SNAP enrollment has been tied to better medication adherence.

SNAP stimulates economic activity that supports grocery stores, farms, and food transportation. H.R. 1’s cuts put this ecosystem in danger.

SNAP has for decades been an effective tool to combat hunger. It provides people with the means and autonomy to feed themselves and their families, and it stimulates widespread economic activity that supports grocery stores, farms, and food transportation. H.R. 1’s cuts put this ecosystem in danger: Without the spending that comes through SNAP, stores may pass the costs on to shoppers by increasing prices for all and some may be forced to close, further worsening food and financial insecurity for millions of Americans. 

More Must Be Done

At Medicare Rights, we urge the immediate reversal of H.R. 1’s SNAP cuts and new state efforts to shore up nutrition programs for older adults and others who are struggling with food insecurity. As food costs rise and SNAP funding falls further behind inflation, even more people will be unable to eat the diet they need to survive and thrive.