food access

The speakers argued that changes to federal food assistance have reduced benefits for hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents while placing additional financial strain on independent grocers that rely on SNAP purchases. #forestpark #snap #democrats

Among the programs impacted is Link Match, which helped SNAP participants purchase fresh produce and other goods from local farmers by matching benefits spent at participating markets and retailers. #snap #democrats #trump

Officials said the increase was driven largely by rising uncompensated care costs, including Medicare and Medicaid losses, unrecoverable patient debt, and the first full year of operations for UChicago Medicine Crown Point in Northwest Indiana. #investment #uchicago #benefits