We Won't Leave You Hanging: SNAP and Healthcare Alternatives

Government programs are a great way to take advantage of affordable groceries, healthcare, and even phone service. Unfortunately, that also means that they are subject to strict eligibility requirements, budget cuts, or even worse, full government shutdowns.

Recent upheaval in funding for SNAP food benefits, Medicaid cuts, and the end of subsidies for ACA healthcare program has left many families feeling the pinch. Many families are now facing the most feared question: “How am I going to feed my kids?”  

Now, TextNow doesn’t offer grocery discounts or benefits, but it firmly believes that access to basics — like phone service — should be available to everyone, regardless of budget, which is why we never leave anyone hanging, even when they can’t pay. So on that same note, we hope that this list of alternative resources we gathered can keep you meet your needs.

How to get groceries without SNAP  

1. Look up your local food banks and pantries.   
   You can take it upon yourself to look them up via Google, or you can use Feeding America’s ZIP locator to find a food bank or pantry near you, including hours, meal programs, eligibility, etc.  
2. Apply for WIC.  
   If you’re a pregnant or postpartum mother with kids under the age of 5, you can apply for WIC, which is a program separate from SNAP that provides nutritional assistance (including infant formula) to eligible parents.  
3. Call 211 for guidance.  
   If you don’t want to spend time looking things up (especially if you have limited internet time), you can call 211 instead to reach a real person who can route you to emergency food, meal sites, diaper banks, and more in your county. 
4. Follow others’ advice.  
   With 42 million Americans benefiting from SNAP, there are a lot of fellow neighbors and families that have learned how to stretch a small meal budget. Use those resources as much as community-led ones. Head over to TikTok or Instagram and look up “budget meals” or even “Dollar General dinners,” you’ll be surprised at how many great tips and recipes you can find.  

How to get healthcare without Medicaid  

1. Apply for Special Enrollment with Healthcare.gov. Losing Medicaid qualifies you for special healthcare enrollment—apply up to 60 days before and after your coverage ends to avoid a gap. 
2. Use Community Health Centers.  
   You can find a local health center by ZIP code for primary care, dental, mental health, and pharmacies on a sliding-fee scale regardless of insurance.  
3. Use Medicine Assistance Tool (MAT) to find affordable meds.  
   This is a specific search engine for finding free/low-cost meds by searching hundreds of manufacturer patient-assistance programs.  

Other than these immediate alternatives and assistance programs, you can also free up money from other parts of your budget by using TextNow as your primary phone service for free, eliminating a monthly phone bill. You can also audit your subscriptions to save money, use price matching and other hacks to save on groceries last longer, and look for discounts and free stuff wherever you can.  

Your government benefits may leave you hanging temporarily, but TextNow never will. If you’ve got a question or comment, or can use more help with your service, let us know at [email protected].