Key Market and Policy Trends Driving Progress of Social Innovations for Health

Market Primer: Social Innovations for Health (Part 02)

This article is part of our new market primer series on social innovation for health. Learn more about our research and check out the Table of Contents.

The growing evidence that the social determinants of health warrant more attention and investment has slowly begun to translate into a corresponding degree of action at many health systems around the country.

Beyond the research piling up, various economic forces, market trends, and policy developments are combining to shape the healthcare industry’s response to the opportunity to address SDOH.

Healthcare Expenditures

The US spent $3.3 trillion on healthcare in 2016. This represents nearly 18 percent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), far more than any other developed or developing nation. Moreover, the US spends twice as much on healthcare services as we do on social services—in all other first world countries this proportion is the other way around.

Shift Towards Value Based Care

Despite the political crosswinds facing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), value-based care has…