HEALTH AND WELLNESS
How Medicare Advantage Addresses the Social
Drivers of Health
Article by Dr. Alexander Billioux
(BPT) - As a healthcare navigator at UnitedHealthcare, John wears many hats. Some days are spent helping members locate physicians in their area or better understanding their benefits, while others are filled with questions about billing. But providing the support members need often means looking beyond claims or copays to other issues impacting health - ones that aren't always seen as health care issues.
John recalls one member he worked with earlier this year whose largest obstacle was housing. Operating with a disability and on a single income, he struggled to navigate local programs designed to help people like him address housing challenges. "So I did some research, calling county and local offices to get information that might best fit his needs," John says.
He soon facilitated a conference call with the member and a neighborhood housing service in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to help him get "mortgage ready" and into stable housing. At the end of that call, the member told John, "You made my hero of the day list."
The impact of social drivers
Nearly 10% of Americans 65 years or older face food insecurity,[1] and between 2021 and 2022 the poverty rate for older adults increased from 10.7% to 14.1%, reflecting greater overall economic insecurity for American seniors.[2]
In response, the health care system is paying much closer attention to the overall impact of these social factors. "For a long time, health care was focused on acute and chronic illnesses, as well as an episodic model for how we manage specific conditions," said Dr. Alexander Billioux, chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare Community and State and also responsible for leading the company's population health and social care efforts. "We're now taking a more holistic view, where we can improve health by thinking about the context in which people live their lives."
"That," he said, "is really where the social care component comes in. ." Dr. Billioux adds that while traditional Medicare is not really set up for identifying social needs or addressing