In a new primer, Health Care Policy Analysist John Walker discusses the function and design of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) , its eligibility requirements, and its waiver and authorization process.

Key Points:

• Since 1964, the federal government has administered a food support program – originally known as the Food Stamps Program but now known as SNAP – which assists households making below 130 percent of the federal poverty level by providing them with food assistance.

• As with Medicaid, the federal government oversees SNAP program governance and financing, while state agencies manage the day-to-day administration of the program, including screening eligibility, issuing benefits, and ensuring program integrity.

• In 2024, SNAP provided food assistance to more than 41.7 million people or roughly one in eight Americans, with the highest proportion of benefits going to rural households with at least one senior or child.

Read the analysis.