CHICAGO (AP) — President Barack Obama's health care law has had a surprising side effect: In some states, it appears to be enticing more Americans to apply for food stamps, even as the economy improves.
New, streamlined application systems built for the health care overhaul are making it easier for people to enroll in government benefit programs, including insurance coverage and food stamps.
In most affected states, the enrollment increases were not huge, ranging from 1 percent to 6 percent over two years, according to an Associated Press analysis. The sole exception was Nevada, where enrollment shot up 14 percent.
Eligibility rules have not changed.
With the economy improving, national food-stamp enrollment declined in 2013 and 2014. But in 11 states, demand rose between January 2013 and the end of 2014, the AP analysis showed. In Pennsylvania, enrollment increased 2 percent during that period, while unemployment dropped 2.6 percent.
Six of the states employed new easy sign-up systems that helped people apply for both Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as food stamps, at the same time.
"It wasn't clear to us whether the Affordable Care Act was going to be something that would cause SNAP enrollment to go up or to go down," said Dorothy Rosenbaum, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington group that advocates for low-income people.
But advocates hoped state investments in technology and online tools would reach new people needing foodbenefits. Two out of 10 Americans who are qualified for food stamps have never signed up, Rosenbaum said.
Enrollment counselors who sign people up for Medicaid say the new systems make it easier for people who qualify to overcome any hesitation about getting food benefits. In Illinois, an online calculator allows people to see how much they might get in food benefits each month.
"If it's over $100, they definitely say, 'Yeah, check the box for me,'" said Juanita Dorantes of Chicago, who has helped people sign up for benefits for 12 years and said it's never been easier.
Republicans in March proposed a 34 percent cut over 10 years in the food-stamp program, which almost doubled in size after the recession. SNAP grew from 26.5 million recipients and a cost of $32.9 billion in 2006 to 47.6 million people and $79.9 billion in 2013 before contracting slightly last year.
Besides adding convenience for low-income applicants, the integrated sign-up systems reduce the stigma associated with food benefits, said Larry Goolsby, director of strategic initiatives for APHSA.
Some who were reluctant to sign up for food stamps have "no reluctance at all signing up for Medicaid," Goolsby said. "They don't see that in the same category as what we used to call welfare."