Social Services

The social service market is defined as supports and services related to the social determinants of health such as poverty, food insecurity, lack of education, racism, discrimination, environment, and community conditions. Addressing social determinants of health has become a common strategic conversation in a market focused on whole person care and the value equation. Payers and health plans are taking a more structured approach to addressing social support needs and this opens new possibilities for managers of organizations that provide social support programs that have typically been excluded from health care financing arrangements.

Latest Resources

• R.M., & A.B., et al, v. New York State Office Of Mental Health; New York City Department Of Health & Mental Hygiene; New York City Health & Hospitals Corporation
• Managed Health Services Announces Recipients Of $1.2 Million Investment In Youth Mental Health
• Poverty In The United States: 2024
• New Hampshire Ranks First As Best Place For Retirement
• 48% Of U.S. Adolescents Say Social Media Negatively Affects Their Peers
• Comprehensive Screening For SDOH Could Improve Quality Of Life & Clinical Outcomes Of Chronic Medical Conditions
• 69% Of Americans Say Financial Uncertainty Has Made Them Feel Depressed & Anxious
• The Whole Person Journey
• Making Whole Person Work On The Ground
• One In Three Medicaid Expansion Adults Who Are Working Or In School Could Lose Coverage Under Work Requirements Due To Unstable Employment
• Unemployment Among Young Adult Cancer Survivors Tied To Worse Quality of Life
• SAMHSA Announces $19 Million In Supplemental Funding To Strengthen Housing Capacity For Homeless People With Serious Mental Illness
• Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital Reintroduces School-Based Behavioral Health Services To Support Military Families
• The Loneliness Epidemic
• Uwill Student Wellness Platform Acquires Basic Needs Solution tbh To Address Student Food, Housing & Transportation Challenges

See All

North Carolina Ends Medicaid HRSN Pilots Despite Savings & Fewer ED Visits

On July 1, 2025, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) ended the Healthy Opportunities Pilots (HOP), which was enabled using Medicaid funds to pay for non-medical health related social needs (HRSNs). NCDHHS had been planning to expand the program statewide as late as March 2025 but the state’s General Assembly did not include funding for state fiscal years 2026 and 2027. A program evaluation found that HOP participation reduced spending on… Read

• Lightning Step & United Ways Of California Support Community-Based Organizations & Coordinated Social Care For Homeless Orange County Residents
• San Francisco Updates Homeless Shelter Policies To Allow Families Longer Stays
• Oregon School-Based Health Centers Report 15% More Visits, 13% More People Served Between 2023 & 2024 & Behavioral Health Visits Up 19%
• San Francisco Enters $2.8 Million Settlement Over Homeless Encampment Sweeps
• Department Of Homelessness & Supportive Housing Family Shelter Length-of-Stay Policy

To sign-up for monthly Social Services alerts, you must be signed in to your account.