Gig workers increasingly rely on SNAP and Medicaid, raising policy concerns

According to a 2025 GAO analysis, ride-share and delivery platforms Uber, Lyft and DoorDash now top the list of U.S. employers with employees on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, overtaking retailers that led the 2020 survey. A separate Michigan survey indicated that roughly 22% of respondents have performed gig work, and half of those view it as crucial for meeting essential expenses. Although nine-in-ten gig workers appreciate the ability to set their own hours, many cite opaque compensation, insufficient benefits and unpredictable income.

The report also notes that gig platforms have become the third-largest source of Medicaid enrollees, a position they did not hold in 2020. New Medicaid rules introduced in a 2025 tax and immigration bill impose an 80-hour monthly work requirement, which gig workers may struggle to document, risking loss of coverage. State initiatives such as New York’s Black Car Fund and California’s Proposition 22 illustrate divergent approaches to portable benefits for gig labor.