House Introduces Bill Creating Grants for Work on Social Determinants of Health

ANCOR is sharing this article by Modern Healthcare because social determinants of health are increasingly becoming a topic of interest in supports for people with disabilities.

As shared by Modern Healthcare:

“House lawmakers want government agencies to team up to manage needs like food, housing and transportation for certain groups in Medicaid, in what stands as the first federal proposal on social determinants of health.

On Thursday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Reps. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.) introduced the bill to launch a multi-agency council and fund $25 million in grants for “Social Determinants Accelerator Plans.”

The plans are supposed to focus on particular groups of people on Medicaid, such as the homeless, elderly nursing home residents or women with postpartum depression. Up to 20% of the funding would be earmarked for people who live in rural areas.

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A representative for the group said the bill ‘does not contemplate future funding,’ but is aimed at improving coordinated efforts between programs for vulnerable groups.”