Big Picture: New Bill Seeks Study on Social Determinants of Health for Several Populations, Including People with Disabilities

The broader health care industry has been slowly shifting towards integrating social determinants of health (e.g., the impact of substandard housing on health, the relationship between employment and health, etc.). These conversations have also started emerging in the Medicaid space, making this reporting by Politico Pulse relevant to readers who follow these broader discussions:

“Five House Democrats are introducing legislation that would encourage the use of population health tools to study how policy changes affect health equity. Reps. T.J. Cox [CA], David Trone [MD], Terri Sewell [AL], Julia Brownley [CA] and Eliot Engel [NY] are backing the bill.”

Specifically, the legislation summary states that “shall consider the impacts described in such subsection on health and health disparities within specific populations including communities of color, youth, women, older adults, sexual and gender minorities, individuals living in rural and Tribal communities, individuals living in regions with persistent poverty, individuals with co-morbid conditions, individuals with a disability, and individuals involved with the criminal justice system.”