ABSTRACT
The United States spends more per capita on health care than any other country and has worse health outcomes. Public policy can influence almost all aspects of health. Publicly funded insurance pays for health care for more than half of Americans. For individuals and employers that purchase insurance, the regulatory environment influences which insurance products can be purchased as well as by whom and for how much. Health policy levers at federal, state, and local levels can exert financial and regulatory influence over care. This influence determines what is health care, with increasing federal and state efforts to encourage nontraditional services.
Subject(s)
Health Policy , Health Services , Population Health , Child , Child Health Services , Health Services Accessibility , Health Services for the Aged , Humans , National Health Programs , Opioid-Related Disorders/prevention & control , Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , United StatesABSTRACT
Research has shown that individuals' health outcomes often have more to do with the conditions in which they live, learn, work, and age than the medical care they receive. However, traditional health care is not designed to address the social, behavioral, and economic factors (eg, housing, transportation, access to healthy food, education, and health behaviors) that impact health outcomes. Accountable care communities are showing that it is possible to design systems that are successful at both addressing social and economic factors and improving population health.