May 2021 Missouri Benefits Report
In recent days I’ve been on email chains where anti-hunger advocates announce that Rhode Island is linking federal energy assistance grants with food stamps so every struggling family gets extra help; that several states are aggressively working to utilize special food stamp allocations to families with kids while school is out; many states are streamlining the application process for benefits, and, several states support new ‘farm to table’ programs to enhance the quality of food available to hungry families.
Occasionally I get asked about Missouri. I reply that we’d like to get the state to answer phone calls from participants.
So, let’s not be surprised that the latest report from Jefferson City shows the continued erosion in the food stamp and Temporary Assistance rolls. Food stamp participation, for example, dropped almost 3% from March to May and about 10% over the past year. Nationwide, food stamp participation is up 14% from March 2020 to March 2021. [ https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/resource-files/29SNAPcurrPP-6.pdf ] Temporary Assistance is down 38.2% from last May. That’s what His Accidency’s administration wants, to continually trip over the lowest bar in federal law and regulations.
The May 2021 Monthly Management Report for the Missouri Department of Social Services Family Support Division and MO HealthNet Division in now on-line at https://dss.mo.gov/re/pdf/fsd_mhdmr/0521-family-support-mohealthnet-report.pdf .
Almost a bright spot – note that this is before Medicaid Expansion – in May more than a million Missourians received health coverage through MO HealthNet, despite miserly income restrictions and bureaucratic mountain ranges placed between the needy and benefits. That number still feels low. Based on the state’s weak (and falling) median household income level and reports of outstate piddling wages as the hospitality industry struggles back to life, I would not be surprised if another 300,000 or more Missourians actually now qualify for Medicaid. After July 1st that number ought to top 1.5 million.
To the numbers…
Missouri May Benefits
2021 2016
Temporary Assistance
Children 11,605 26,520
Adults 3,114 9,512
Total 14,719 36,032
Benefits $1,415,859 $3,433,348
Per Family $ 216.99 $ 223.50
Per Day $ 7.00 $ 7.21
MO HealthNet (Medicaid)
Enrolled 1,080,576 981,322
Covered 1,087,045 1,080,153
Cost $810,982,018 $672,976,644
Per Patient $ 746.04 $ 623.04
Managed Care 825,631 656,080
Premium $ 264.83 $ 145.07
Food Stamps (SNAP)
Participants 691,375 783,871
Cost $158,036,280 $ 94,366,432
Per Person $ 228.58 $ 120.39
Per Meal $ 2.46 $ 1.29
USDA Food Plan Estimated Cost Per Meal, May 2021
Thrifty Food Plan $ 1.60
Low Cost Plan $ 2.08
Moderate Cost Plan $ 2.57
https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites/default/files/media/file/CostofFoodMay2021.pdf
Good news: thanks to pandemic-inspired increases, the typical food stamp benefit now offers a family a fighting chance at paying for enough health food for every meal.
Bad news: these enhanced benefits could be trimmed by Congress after next year’s election.