Cochling: The Safety Net ‘System’ That Isn’t
My colleague Eric Cochling now has a regular column in Governing magazine. His first article is on the nation’s welfare system and how states are moving toward consolidating the delivery of these programs and coupling them with workforce programs. This helps put people back to work, improving their lives and our economy.
Starting in 2027, work requirements kick in for certain beneficiaries on Medicaid, while new work rules for the SNAP food assistance program took effect on Nov. 1. These reforms mandated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act reflect a growing effort to make the safety net not only an important source of support but also a pathway to more opportunity and a better life.
The states, however, face significant challenges in implementing these new rules. America’s safety net “system” isn’t really a system at all. It’s a patchwork of more than 80 separate programs, each with its own database, rules, processes and hoops to jump through. These programs rarely coordinate or talk to each other and often feel inhumane to recipients.
For struggling Americans, accessing needed benefits means navigating a bureaucratic maze: Section 8 for housing assistance, SNAP for food support, Medicaid for health care and workforce programs for job training, for example. Each program brings a different caseworker, different eligibility requirements and endless paperwork. Caseworkers can’t see the full picture of what benefits a recipient receives or easily verify whether someone is working.
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In June, for example, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed the One Door to Work Act — the first step in a multiyear effort to align the state’s workforce and social services systems. The process began with a performance audit of key welfare programs that uncovered inefficiencies and a lack of coordination among agencies. Lawmakers then created a task force to recommend improvements, which ultimately led to the passage of One Door, bringing workforce development programs together under one roof while also integrating state SNAP and Medicaid eligibility systems.
With these reforms, Louisiana has made the most significant progress toward streamlining its safety net since Utah pioneered the One Door model in the 1990s, combining safety net and workforce development programs. Utah now boasts the lowest percentage of residents on Medicaid and food stamps, while simultaneously having consistently low unemployment rates.
Several other states have started down the same path. Mississippi passed SB 2290 in April, setting up a task force to study workforce and social services reform. And Arkansas lawmakers created a legislative committee to review the state’s safety net and workforce systems and recommend ways to improve coordination, streamline services and help more people move into work.
For more on this, check out my post last week urging candidates for Governor to make this issue part of their campaign platform.
