Why are we leaving $104 million on the table?
That’s the amount of money the USDA Food and Nutrition Service estimates Hawaii as a state left on the table in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in 2015.
SNAP was formerly known as the food stamp program. USDA estimates that 38,689 people who were eligible did not apply for these benefits. They did not have the numbers by county, but since 21 percent of the Medicaid population live on Hawaii Island, we can use this percentage to estimate that there are about 8,125 people who are eligible but did not apply, resulting in a loss of over $20 million that could be used to purchase food.
These are federal dollars which do not require any contribution from the state. If you use the USDA economic multiplier of 1.8, which calculates the impact of the circulation of the money across the community, Hawaii Island is losing $36 million in economic activity, every year.
In 2013, the Hawaii ranked 45th lowest among the 50 states with a participation rate of all eligible people of 75 percent (USDA: Reaching Those in Need, Participation Rates in 2013). Seven states, including Oregon, had 100 percent participation rates and have had them for several years. I heard that Oregon’s application page is one page long; ours is nine pages. Oregon has on-line application and also people who can fill out the form telephonically; we have neither. Why is this?
I was surprised to learn how much money we are leaving on the table and even more surprised that we have known about this situation for years and not acted upon it effectively. I’ve heard that the state has plans for a new information system that they hope will help. Maybe, but that will take a while at best.
I’m more hopeful about a local group which has been getting together — people like Carol Ignacio, Rachel Solemsaas, Kristin Frost-Albrecht, Carol VanCamp, Mike Sayama, Carolyn Ma and Laura Hill. They call themselves the LMSH (Let’s Make Snap Happen) group and are developing a policy statement that will have a solid basis in county-level data, have a clear understanding of the application process, and suggest ways we can do something as a community.
What if students in the pharmacy program at University of Hawaii at Hilo or the community health worker at Hawaii Community College could outreach eligible participants as part of their field work? What if we set up tables for SNAP applications at all the supermarkets and farmers markets? What if the chambers of commerce took this on as a business project and brought business management skills to the table? What if we had a public education campaign emphasizing the need to eat good food to stay healthy and that using the SNAP benefit is not a shame but a responsibility?
Nowadays, everyone is talking about the social determinants of health, but the discussion quickly loses momentum with the question, “How are you going to pay for what you want to do, and how is it going to be sustained?”
These questions don’t apply (at least for now with the current federal program and regulations) to achieving 100 percent SNAP participation rate and getting people access to good food. I’m sure there will be, however, resistance to something which seems totally positive. More work will be created for someone. People will have to understand that it is not shameful to receive this benefit. Reaching out will take a concerted community effort. It will not be a snap, but not making this happen is embarrassing to us all.
In closing, please allow me to express the three principles of Community First. Only together can we solve this. We must make the invisible visible. And try and don’t expect to get it right the first time.
But try — try now — otherwise several years from now we will be moaning about the same problem again.
As the LMSH Group reaches out, I ask that you all get involved.
Barry Taniguchi is the CEO and chairman of KTA Super Stores. A leader in Hawaii’s business and civic community, Taniguchi is dedicated to transforming health-care delivery, payment and attitudes to create a sustainable health-care system in East Hawaii.
This column was prepared by Community First, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization led by Taniguchi and supported by a volunteer board of local community leaders. Community First was established in 2014 to help the community respond to the health care cost crisis and support initiatives that change health care from just treating disease to caring for health. To learn more about Community First visit CommunityFirst.co.