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Post-presidential debate poll shows a shift in WI; Teamsters won't endorse in presidential race after releasing internal polling showing most members support Trump; IL energy jobs growth is strong but lacks female workers; Pregnant, Black Coloradans twice as likely to die than the overall population.

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The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Report: Food Assistance Lowers Health-Care Costs

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Tuesday, January 23, 2018   

LANSING, Mich. – New research highlights the link between access to SNAP benefits and improved health and lower health-care costs.

The paper, published by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, looks at the health status of low-income people who receive nutritional assistance through SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, and those who are eligible for benefits but not enrolled in the program.

According to Brynne Keith-Jennings, a senior research analyst at the center and co-author of the report, those studies indicate that people receiving benefits are healthier and less likely to need medical services.

"SNAP participants spent about 25-percent less per year than nonparticipants in health-care costs," she says. "A similar study looked at seniors in Maryland and found that they were less likely to be admitted to nursing homes."

The Trump administration has proposed cutting SNAP by $192 billion over 10 years. But the paper suggests cutting benefits could harm health and raise health-care costs. Roughly one-in-seven Michiganders currently receives SNAP benefits.

Some of the studies cited in the paper used data going back to the '60s when the food-stamp program began. Keith-Jennings notes that those studies found long-term health benefits.

"Children who grew up in counties with food stamps grew up to be healthier than those who didn't," she states. "They were less likely to have, for example, metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of diseases like heart disease."

About 70 percent of SNAP participants are in families with children, and a quarter are in households with seniors or people with disabilities. Other studies have shown that those who receive benefits are more likely to stay on top of their prescription medications, and Keith-Jennings fears cuts would force more people to have to choose between food and medicine.


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