Giving Compass' Take:

• Now, more than ever there is greater need for integration between all human services organizations involved in order to make health insurance in the United States the most effective.

• The author brings up value-based care systems that focus on patient-centered care to prevent avoidable health problems. What partnerships would need to happen in order for this type of care to work successfully?

• Read about TriplePundit's dive into a study that looks at why the U.S. spends so much on health care and the inefficiency that still exists in this system.

We know that issues like housing instability, social isolation and food insecurity lead to health problems. Children who live in areas with higher rates of unaffordable housing, for example, tend to have poorer health, more behavioral problems and lower school performance.

Community-based human services organizations have been managing these social determinants of health for more than a century. Contracting with governments, these nonprofits care for children, the elderly and the disabled of all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. They deliver services and supports for immigrants, people with substance-use disorders, those experiencing homelessness, individuals caught up in the justice system, people with barriers to employment, and socially marginalized groups.

In some ways, health and human services are strangers living next door, working in close proximity but missing opportunities to complement and strengthen each other's work.

But we can look to New York as it tries to change this dynamic. The state is attempting to improve individual and community health through a transition to a value-based care system that rewards positive outcomes -- or value -- rather than the volume of services provided.

Value-based care systems are designed to provide better care and better outcomes while also lowering the cost of health care by preventing avoidable health issues. This person-centered model is an admirable goal, but it requires a true partnership with the trusted and seasoned entities providing human services in communities.

Health care reform is at a critical moment. The health care system, with its focus on episodic treatment, needs to be intentionally linked with the interventions provided by nonprofit human services organizations. We must ensure that all sectors -- government, health care, human services and even philanthropy -- work together to move the system toward greater integration.

Read the full article about improving health insurance by Allison Sesso at Governing Magazine.