Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, and Madonna Harrington Meyer, University Professor, co-authors of the book Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adult Food Insecurity (Russell Sage Foundation, 2025), were interviewed on the Aging Well podcast. 

Drawing on powerful stories and rigorous data, they unpack the realities of food insecurity among older adults, the barriers that prevent access to programs like SNAP, and why current systems often fail the very people they are designed to support.

They explore how hunger accelerates chronic disease, threatens independence and undermines the core goal of aging well—autonomy. As policymakers debate funding and reform, this conversation brings clarity to what those decisions mean on the ground and what must change if we are serious about supporting healthy aging in our communities.

“One of our big concerns is recently, what's called the Big Beautiful Bill cut Medicaid by a trillion dollars, and we expect there to be even more budget trade-offs between health care and food as these budget cuts start to really become integrated into the healthcare system,” says Harrington Meyer.

“It's really a no-win situation. You need to go to the doctor and you need to eat healthy food, and every time you make that trade-off, you're undermining your health. No matter which one you choose, it's not good for your health,” she says.