WIC is now fully funded through 2026, but another deadline looms | Expert Opinion

Last month, I saw a single mother in my medical clinic who had recently lost her SNAP food benefits. She was now struggling to afford enough food for her three children, including solid foods that her 9-month-old baby needed for growth and development. Stories like hers are becoming more common as federal SNAP cuts strain families at a time when food insecurity is higher than at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a pediatrician in Philadelphia, I care for many infants and families who rely on the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program for nutritional support. I referred this patient to WIC, but I can’t prescribe her the necessary childcare, transportation, and time off work to visit her WIC office every few months, as required in Pennsylvania to receive benefits. These logistical barriers have long challenged Pennsylvania participants, as well as many of the nearly 12 million people nationwide who are eligible for WIC each year.

For families already struggling to put food on the table, these are not minor inconveniences. They often determine if a family can access adequate nutrition at all. The good news is the pandemic showed us a path to overcome this.

In 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued emergency waivers allowing WIC agencies to offer remote appointments and services. Nearly all state agencies reported that the changes made WIC more accessible. They provided a lifeline for WIC families when in-person visits were almost impossible.

Studies in the years since have suggested that waiving in-person requirements can increase WIC participation. In addition, families who used phone counseling and online education were more likely to stay enrolled. Remote services have modernized and expanded a program long known to promote better diets and health for mothers and children. That is why WIC advocates and policy researchers alike are pushing to keep these services permanent.

But the federal waivers will expire on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Congress passed a temporary funding bill that keeps the program funded through the end of the year. Unfortunately, funding alone is not enough. Without action to extend remote services, families across the country risk losing WIC access due to work obligations, childcare needs, or travel barriers.

Congress should also support universal adoption of remote benefit loading. Pennsylvania is one of the few states that still does not allow participants to load their WIC benefits remotely, though it plans to introduce a digital WIC card in 2027. Research from the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania in 2021 found a 14% improvement in WIC participation in states that allowed remote benefit transfer, compared to “offline” states.

Both the Modern WIC Act in the House and the 21st Century WIC Act in the Senate would formalize these changes, but neither has a clear path to passage. Like the National WIC Association and many public health organizations, I urge our lawmakers to prioritize these bills before the end-of-month deadline. All states should also commit to modernizing their WIC systems to make benefits and services easier for families to access.

In the last few years, WIC still hasn’t reached nearly half of those eligible. Traveling to appointments is consistently cited as a major barrier, especially for working parents, rural families far away from any WIC office, and those without reliable transportation.

Congress and state agencies must act together soon to protect families’ access to WIC, one of our country’s most valuable investments in maternal and child health. At a time when high cost of living and federal benefit cuts further threaten food security, we should strive to make WIC easier to use. No family should lose out on critical nutrition support because getting to a WIC appointment is harder than it needs to be.

William Zhuo-Ming Li is a pediatrician in his final year of residency training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is interested in neonatal health equity and infant nutrition advocacy.