Driving Better Outcomes With A ‘Whole Life’ Approach

The U.S. has historically “separated” the health of an individual from their social circumstances. “Medically necessary” was a term I learned when I first started my career and worked for a health insurance company—not medical, not paid. Soon after, “clinically appropriate” was added to the payment criteria to address level of care—the least restrictive level of care only. But social issues or supports were never in the equation.

That perspective has changed for a couple reasons. Over a decade ago, the fundamentals of health insurance underwriting changed with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The end . . .