Brandeis professor’s research on SNAP and healthcare outcomes cited in filing with Supreme Court
November 11, 2025
As a dispute over funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, leaves food assistance for millions in limbo, Brandeis expertise is informing the conversation. The research of Rajan Sonik, associate research professor at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, was cited this week in an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court.
The “friend of the court” filing, by a group of 27 former governors – including former Massachusetts Governors Deval Patrick and Bill Weld – cited Sonik’s examination of the impact even small changes in SNAP assistance can have on high-cost healthcare outcomes for individuals and families.
Sonik’s research analyzed data from the Massachusetts Medicaid program. He found that the growth in state Medicaid costs from hospitalizations slowed significantly after an increase in SNAP benefits. He also found that this slowdown was significantly greater for people with chronic illnesses (such as cardiovascular conditions and sickle cell disease) who have higher sensitivity to food security, further supporting the hypothesis that SNAP was driving the observed healthcare improvements.
