How will Utah taxpayers be impacted by federal Medicaid, food stamp changes?

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah taxpayers will shoulder a higher share of administrative costs associated with food stamps under the so-called “big, beautiful bill,” but rough estimates suggest the state can avoid having to chip in to cover benefits directly.

That’s according to initial estimates prepared by state agencies and presented to lawmakers this week, as they prepare for upcoming changes to Medicaid and food stamps, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The specifics are still up in the air, and presenters cautioned that things could change in either direction as the federal government clarifies how the law will be enacted.

“If you’ve ever been to chemistry, everything has three states. There’s solid, gas and liquid,” Russell Frandsen, with the Legislative Fiscal Analyst’s Off