Medicaid and SNAP ACCESS Committee

Are you a Medicaid or SNAP recipient looking for resources on how to retain your benefits? Visit our resources page. 

 

about the committee

Beginning in January 2027, some Medicaid (called Medical Assistance/MA in Pennsylvania) recipients will have to meet work requirements AND renew their Medicaid every six months (instead of every 12 months). This unprecedented change creates new rules and additional reporting requirements that could cause people who would usually qualify for Medicaid to lose coverage if they do not report properly and on time. These changes pose a large risk to families and communities across our state and our city — approximately 3 million people in Pennsylvania currently rely on Medicaid to access the care they need.

In response to these upcoming changes, Accelerate Health Equity has convened a city-wide committee known as the Medicaid & SNAP Advancing Community Care & Engagement via Sustainable Solutions (ACCESS) Committee comprised of representatives from 20 health systems, payers, and local organizations. The ACCESS Committee's work helps to mitigate the impact of coverage disruption created by H.R. 1 — specifically its Medicaid work requirements, accelerated redetermination timelines, and SNAP compliance changes. As a committee, we are committed to gathering resources for communities, families, and healthcare workers to help support Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians through these changes.

 

“'What makes our work together through the ACCESS Committee so powerful is that we set aside the names of our individual institutions and come together around a shared purpose. In that space, collaboration becomes more than an aspiration — it becomes an opportunity to learn from one another, amplify our collective strengths, and create meaningful change that no single organization could achieve alone."

- Dr. David Jaspan, Chief Medical Officer, Jefferson Health Plans 

 

Together, the ACCESS Committee is working on initiatives through five core subcommittees, each with differing strategies and points of access to meet communities, patients, and health systems where they are: 

 

Communications Subcommittee:

GOAL: To create unified, consistent, and targeted messaging around the upcoming changes to SNAP and Medicaid to help empower Philadelphians with the tools and information they need to retain access to their benefits.

LEADER: Rhonda Mims, BS, JD - AmeriHealth Caritas

Data and Technology Subcommittee:

GOAL: To coalesce around shared tracking and data collection systems to help streamline redetermination processes and communications in order to reduce burden for front-line staff and decrease data duplication and data loss.

LEADER: Marty Lupinetti, BS, MBA - HealthShare Exchange

Employment and Volunteerism Subcommittee

GOAL: To connect Medicaid recipients to volunteer opportunities by creating and bolstering systems that simplify the experience and support community-based organizations in the tracking and attestation of recipients’ volunteer hours; as well as creating new volunteer opportunities for Philadelphians.

LEADER: Erin Morton, BA - United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey

Health Systems, Providers, and Payers Subcommittee

GOAL: To create resources for healthcare providers and staff who will be on the front line of the patient experience and ensure patients interacting with multiple systems receive consistent and reliable support and resources at all access points. 

LEADER: David Jaspan, DO - Jefferson Health Plans

Policy Subcommittee

GOAL: To create shared policy goals, engage key stakeholders, and advocate for proper funding allocations to mitigate the impact on individuals and healthcare providers who will be most affected by these changes, including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). 

LEADER: Cheryl Bettigole, MD, MPH - Penn Medicine

 

As a group, our shared mission is to ensure that as many Philadelphians as possible retain access to their benefits during this Medicaid and SNAP transition through coordinated innovation, shared intelligence, and strategic partnership across institutions. A core part of our mission, across all subcommittees and partnerships, is to work closely with the City of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) to ensure that we are aligned as a city and state as we meet the upcoming changes head on.

 

  committee participants