In a paper prepared for the Commonwealth Foundation, Manatt Health identifies practical strategies that states can deploy to support Medicaid managed care plans and their network providers in addressing social issues—such as unstable housing, lack of healthy food, unsafe neighborhoods and unemployment—that have a substantial impact on healthcare outcomes and spending, particularly with respect to lower-income populations.

As the nation’s largest payer for healthcare services for low-income populations, many of whom have substantial social service needs, Medicaid is front and center when it comes to these issues. State Medicaid agencies are increasingly focusing on how the program can cover and reimburse for nonclinical interventions, particularly in managed care, now the dominant service delivery model in Medicaid.

Click here to read the full Commonwealth Foundation paper.