Is It TRUE -or- Is It FALSE?

True -or- False?

1.) Approximately 70% of adult wage earners in households that received SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, formerly known as “Food Stamps”) and/or Medicaid worked full time hours (defined as 35+ hours weekly), and about 50% worked full time hours yearly.

2.) 90% of wage-earning adults participating in either SNAP or Medicaid worked in the Private Sector, compared to 81% of non-participants.

3.) When compared to adult wage earners not participating in SNAP or Medicaid, wage-earning adults in either or both programs were more likely to work in the Leisure and Hospitality industry, and in Food Service occupations.

4.) The single largest majority of adult wage earners who participated in SNAP and/or Medicaid worked for employers with 1,000 or more employees.

5.) In the State of Georgia, the employer with the most adult participants in SNAP and/or Medicaid is Walmart.

6.) In the State of Indiana, the employer with the most adult participants in SNAP and/or Medicaid is Walmart.

7.) In the State of Oklahoma, the employer with the most adult participants in SNAP and/or Medicaid is Walmart.

8.) In the State of Arkansas, the employer with the most adult participants in SNAP and/or Medicaid is Walmart.

9.) In the State of North Carolina, the employer with the most number of adult participants in SNAP is Walmart.

10.) In the State of Tennessee, the employer with the most adult participants in SNAP is Walmart.

For the answers to this quick quiz, see:
https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-45.pdf
October 2020

GAO-21-45, Report to the Ranking Member, Committee on the Budget, U.S. Senate
FEDERAL SOCIAL SAFETY NET PROGRAMS :
Millions of Full-Time Workers Rely on Federal Health Care and Food Assistance Programs
October 2020

Why GAO Did This Study

Each year millions of wage-earning adults participate in federally funded social safety net programs to help pay for basic needs including health care and food assistance. These individuals may work for employers in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, or be self-employed. They also may work full-time or part-time schedules. GAO was asked to review several aspects of this population.

This report examines (1) what is known about the labor characteristics of working adult Medicaid enrollees and SNAP recipients and (2) what is known about where adult Medicaid enrollees and SNAP recipients work.

To answer these questions, GAO analyzed recent Census Bureau data on the labor characteristics of working adults in the two programs. GAO also analyzed recent (Feb. 2020) non- generalizable data on the employers of working adult Medicaid enrollees and SNAP recipients obtained from 15 state agencies across 11 states. GAO selected state agencies that (1) collected, verified, and updated the names of Medicaid enrollees’ and SNAP recipients’ employers; and (2) could extract reliable data.