Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health
Population Health Research Brief Series
Medicaid-Insured Older Adults on SNAP May Have Stronger Medication Adherence
Colleen Heflin, Chinedum O. Ojinnaka, Irma Arteaga, Leslie Hodges, and Gabriella Alphonso
April 2023
Abstract
Medication adherence is critical to decreasing hospitalization, poor health outcomes, and healthcare costs for older adults with hypertension. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—the largest food and nutrition assistance program in the United States—could protect against medication non-adherence. This brief summarizes the findings from a recent study, which linked Missouri Medicaid administrative claims data to SNAP data from 2006 to 2014. The findings suggest that longer and consistent receipt of SNAP benefits was associated with higher levels of antihypertensive medication adherence among Medicaid-insured individuals aged 60 years and older.