PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — About 8,000 people in Pennsylvania and many more across the country will lose their Medicaid coverage. Changes are also being made to the SNAP program.

This is a result of President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.

Starting Thursday, a number of humanitarian immigrants who don’t yet have permanent resident status will lose their Medicaid coverage. That group includes refugees, asylees, and certain military families.

Counselors at BenePhilly are trying to help families keep access to healthcare and food. So are attorneys at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia.

“People are very confused. They don’t know why this is happening. They, you know, from their perspective, they’ve done everything right,” said Lydia Gottesfeld with Community Legal Services.

“The people losing coverage are here legally; they’re just not permanent residents with green cards?” asked Nydia Han.

“Absolutely,” replied Gottesfeld.

Older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers who have very low incomes may be able to keep their Medicaid through the state.

“They should appeal the termination, go to their local county assistance office, call and submit an appeal,” she added.

Be aware that these same changes will apply to Medicare next year.

SNAP beneficiaries should also be aware of changes.

Every year on October 1, the federal government adjusts its monthly SNAP benefits to account for inflation.

So in the short term, most families will see a slight bump in their monthly payments for groceries.

But also starting Thursday, states will take on a greater cost burden. And in the coming months, households facing stricter eligibility requirements already in effect are expected to struggle even more.

“Here in Philadelphia alone, there are 59,000 fewer people on SNAP in August of 2026 than there were a year before,” said Beth McConnell with Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity. “And that’s really concerning. That’s an awful lot of food that’s not going into people’s bellies.”

McConnell said recipients need to submit their paperwork right away, and if you do lose your benefit, you should appeal immediately.

“What we strongly encourage folks to do is call an expert and don’t assume that you can navigate these changes on your own,” she said.

You can reach the BenePhilly helpline at 1-800-994-5537 to help you understand whether or not you’re exempt from these new changes or whether or you need to do something to demonstrate your exemption, or whether you’ll lose your coverage.

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