New research from the Commonwealth Fund painfully confirms once again a truth we have long known: the U.S. healthcare system is inequitable. Attend any healthcare conference in recent years and you would be sure to find numerous panels dedicated to pondering the solution to this issue. What if the answer to take a holistic approach by using health-related social needs data has been in front of us this entire time?

As described in the Commonwealth Fund report, equity reflects how people with below-average and above-average incomes experience healthcare in their communities. Income greatly impacts factors like housing instability, educational attainment, and employment – known as health-related social needs. While health-related social needs aren’t new to the healthcare sector, nowhere do these factors have a greater health impact than within the Medicaid community, and using them to create more equitable healthcare structures continues to be the missing link.

Individuals on Medicaid are particularly vulnerable to health inequities as socioeconomic challenges like income constraints and insecure living environments block access to care or accelerate chronic conditions. While federal healthcare programs focus their attention on ensuring healthcare resources exist for communities in need, health-related social needs become critical drivers of whether individuals can actually access and benefit from these resources.

Preventative Care Is the First To Fall Without Health-Related Social Needs Data

A KFF poll related to health-related social needs from March 2022 revealed that 43% of adults reported either they or a family member in their household delayed or skipped necessary healthcare due to cost concerns – a number that’s continuing to increase alongside overall healthcare expenditures. Medicaid recipients may also have less flexible work schedules and limited transportation options, creating barriers for them to access and receive preventive and timely care. This scenario is pervasive in the US as 3.6 million Americans live with health-related transportation insecurity, disproportionately impacting individuals with Medicaid benefits.

When patients skip preventative care, the long-term health consequences are staggering. Routine check-ups and early screenings are the cornerstone of preventative medicine, allowing for the detection of conditions like diabetes, hypertension, or cancer at an early stage, when treatment is more effective and less costly. Without these regular touchpoints, manageable conditions can quickly become critical and end up costing plans more in medical expenditures over time, demonstrating the need to incorporate health-related social needs data.

Read the full article about health-related social needs data by Kim Webb at MedCity News.