Addressing Social Factors That Affect Health: Emerging Trends and Leading Edge Practices in Medicaid

Jocelyn Guyer, Patricia Boozang, and Bardia Nabet, Manatt Health

Medicaid programs are increasingly considering how best to address social factors, such as housing, healthy food, and economic security, that can affect health and medical expenditures. Often referred to as social determinants of health (SDOH), these factors are significant drivers of population health outcomes. While states historically have had some experience tackling such issues for specialized, high-need populations, they are now confronting whether, and how, Medicaid should address SDOH for a broader population of Medicaid enrollees in order to achieve better health outcomes. This issue brief explores the “next generation” practices that states are deploying to address social factors using Medicaid 1115 waivers and managed care contracts, as well as the specific steps states can take to implement these practices.

The State Health Policy Highlight, Leading Edge Practices in Medicaid for Addressing Social Factors that Affect Health, summarizes the next generation practices analyzed in more detail in the issue brief for those readers looking for a quick overview.

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