Faced with mounting evidence about the impact of social factors—such as income, access to food and housing, and employment status—on health outcomes, Medicaid agencies are looking for ways to integrate social interventions into their coverage, payment, and delivery models. In support of this objective, federal regulations and guidance have opened the door to Medicaid becoming a strong partner in community efforts to address social determinants of health—and this issue brief explains how.

Prepared for the Milbank Memorial Fund’s Reforming States Group, with support from the New York State Health Foundation, Manatt Health provides a practical guide for policymakers who want to know when and how states can use Medicaid to facilitate access to social services. It offers a road map of the legal authorities upon which policymakers can rely to extend Medicaid coverage to social interventions and provides examples from states that are already using Medicaid in creative ways to help vulnerable populations access needed social supports.