Means Testing

An example of how little money it can save with high (other) costs of exclusionary bureaucracy, payment collections and processing, psychological harms, those who fail to get what should be entitled to, etc...

New: Sources say @GovKathyHochul will announce Friday her support to fund universal school meals in the next budget as part of her State of the State.

It’s estimated to cost ~$250M for universal coverage for all districts
About $145M covers free meals in low-income districts now

— Kate Lisa (@KaitlynnLisa) January 8, 2025

My understanding (i think, some reporting is less than clear) of the current system is that poor enough districts currently have universal meals, while poor kids in richer districts qualify individually.