Community May
07, 2019
In the United States, there are more than 2 million people in
public housing. Stable housing is a major social determinant of health — that
is to say, the conditions where people live and work that affect one’s health.
But in many communities, residents face a fragmented system that silos physical
health, behavioral health, social services and housing. This might make it more
difficult for them to access things that make up a healthier life – everything
from an integrated care team to nutritious food. Examples of these disparities
pop up throughout the country:
·
In King County,
Washington public housing residents make up 11 percent of the Medicaid
population.
·
In Austin, 76 percent
of public housing residents have a chronic disease.
·
Nationwide, children
in subsidized housing have the lowest rate of enrollment into kindergarten.
In order to help address these disparities, UnitedHealthcare,
along with the Council for Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA), local
public housing authorities and the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) has
begun an ambitious collaboration. In five metro areas in three different
states, public housing authorities are working with UnitedHealthcare to
identify possible health care interventions that make the most sense for its
Medicaid members. This might mean targeting specific chronic conditions or
increasing access to providers; for example, with an on-site clinic.
This collaboration could improve people’s lives with better
health care outcomes, and provide a nationwide model for others in the future.
“For too long the two industries have been on parallel paths,”
said Catherine Anderson, senior vice president, Policy & Strategy for UHC
Community & State. “The reality is that we are interdependent.”
The scale of this project is made possible with data, both from
UnitedHealthcare and the public housing authorities themselves. Sifting through
a set of data to find specific population health trends, UnitedHealthcare is
able to analyze claims and population statistics to understand health care
demographics while maintaining HIPAA compliance and privacy for its members.
This will include data about chronic diseases, behavioral health and substance
use diagnoses, rates of ER visits and the frequency of routine checkups with a
primary care physician.
The locations — Akron and Columbus in Ohio, Austin and Houston
in Texas, plus Seattle in Washington State — were chosen to develop their own
multi-pronged strategy to improve the health of individuals with Medicaid who
live in publicly assisted housing. The goal is to focus on improving the
overall health of these communities and address social determinants of health.
Of course, hotspotting is only the first step.
“The data is only telling us the questions that we ask,” said
Sonja Nelson, of the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority.
This is why the expertise of people in these local communities
is so important for asking the right questions. From here, specific
evidence-based interventions can be designed for these individual communities,
with the state UnitedHealthcare Medicaid plan and public housing authorities
working in tandem.
Stable housing has been shown to make major improvements in the
quality of life and health outcomes of the people who need it. Conversely,
large public housing authorities and other advocates of affordable housing have
had an increasing interest in the health and wellness of the people they serve.
For example, CLPHA, which represents the 70 largest public housing authorities
that together serve 1 million residents, has developed an initiative called “Housing Is” that focuses on issues
like environmental health, accessibility for residents with disabilities and
health care partnerships.
Likewise, in an effort to help remove social barriers to health,
UnitedHealthcare has invested more
than $400 million in affordable housing projects since 2011.
Ultimately, the long-term goal of the collaboration is to
develop “health-plan agnostic” solutions that can be scaled by UnitedHealthcare
and other Medicaid health plans for low-income individuals in a number of
communities, regardless of their health plan coverage.
“We want this to be the seed that grows the forest,” said
Marcella Maguire, director of Health Systems Integration for CSH.
To find out more about this ongoing collaboration, visit
UnitedHealthcare Community & State and watch the
video.
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