The Republican’s harmful megabill, signed into law this past summer, makes significant cuts to health care, nutrition assistance, and other programs that help families meet basic needs. The legislation includes some of the largest proposed cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in history.
These changes would reshape health care and nutrition assistance across Ohio. An estimated 460,000 residents could lose health coverage due to cuts and the expiration of enhanced ACA premium tax credits. Another 290,000 people are expected to lose Medicaid coverage. About 99,000 residents may lose all or part of their SNAP benefits. The bill would also shift costs to the state, with Ohio potentially responsible for up to $316 million per year in new SNAP expenses tied to federal cost-sharing requirements.
Across Ohio, the impact of these numbers is evident at places like the Broad Street Food Pantry. Kathy Kelly-Long, the pantry’s director, has already watched demand explode — from roughly 4,500 families served in 2019 to more than 18,500 in 2024, a fourfold increase that reflects just how many residents are already struggling to keep food on the table. Now, with cuts to SNAP looming over the 99,000 Ohioans expected to lose all or part of their benefits, Kelly-Long fears the wave of need could grow even larger than her pantry can absorb. ‘Fear and uncertainty,’ she said, is how she would describe the mood — not just among the families who depend on the pantry, but among those trying to run it. For her, the question is no longer just how to serve more people, but how to avoid turning them away. Learn more about what these cuts mean across the state.
New national data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ SNAP Tracker confirms that the harm to Ohio residents is part of a broader, accelerating trend. Nationwide, SNAP participation fell by 2.5 million people — a 6 percent drop — between the megabill’s July 2025 enactment and December 2025, even as unemployment held largely steady, meaning reduced need cannot explain the decline. In Ohio, SNAP participation changed by -5%, from 1,446,062 enrolled in July 2025 to 1,376,454 in December 2025.
Put simply, the bill’s provisions would affect working families who rely on the ACA marketplace, Medicaid recipients who depend on stable coverage, and households that use SNAP benefits to meet basic needs.
The harmful megabill reduces health care and food assistance while providing tax breaks to higher-income households. Instead of cutting services to fund tax breaks for the wealthy, lawmakers should ensure the wealthy pay their fair share and invest in programs that help families afford essentials like food and health care. Additionally, the House Republicans bills propose further cuts, including reductions to housing assistance funding that could affect families’ ability to maintain stable housing.
We urge Members of Congress to protect the millions who rely on these essential services by extending enhanced premium tax credits to prevent over 20 million Americans with Affordable Care Act health plans from seeing their premium costs skyrocket and opposing funding bills that further cut basic needs programs.
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