The Health Initiative Senior Director, Health Plans

THE HEALTH INITIATIVE SENIOR DIRECTOR, HEALTH PLANS The Context It is well-established that 80% of a person’s health is determined by factors outside the doctor’s office — healthy food, safe housing and a decent income. Yet our healthcare system is built backwards, with more than 99% of US healthcare dollars spent on medical care alone. The amount of money going toward healthcare is huge — with public and private payers spending over $11B on healthcare every day. This is projected to grow 6% annually through the next decade. But what exactly do we get for all this healthcare spending? Right now, the US has some of the worst health outcomes across all high-income countries, including for preventable heart disease and obesity, which cost the system nearly $500B each year. This is inefficient and leaves people behind, especially low-income children and families. Imagine a system designed to pay for health, not simply healthcare. What if it invested dollars more efficiently and effectively to pay for access to nutritious food or safe housing as key levers to prevent and manage disease and lower healthcare costs? The result would be a win-win-win: Children and adults would have better access to healthy food and safe housing and, as a result, have better health outcomes. When healthier patients use less care, the government saves money – and insurance companies’ revenues increase – incentivizing both to pay for these basics. The Health Initiative Approach & Impact to Date The H