Our comprehensive review and meta- analysis of these experiments find suggestive evidence of health benefits associated with investments in early life , income support , and health insurance interventions .
Housing and neighborhood trials had no effect on the outcomes included in the meta-analyses .
A positive effect of the trial on its primary socioeconomic outcome was associated with higher odds of reporting health improvements .
Early life , income , and health insurance interventions have the potential to improve health .
Policy Points Social policies might not only improve economic well-being , but also health .
Health policy experts have therefore advocated for investments in social policies both to improve population health and potentially reduce health system costs .
Since the 1960s , a large number of social policies have been experimentally evaluated in the United States .
Some of these experiments include health outcomes , providing a unique opportunity to inform evidence -based policymaking .
CONTEXT Insurers and health care providers are investing heavily in nonmedical social interventions in an effort to improve health and potentially reduce health care costs .
Randomized Trial of the Effects of Housing Assistance on the Health and Risk Behaviors of Homeless and Unstably Housed People Living with HIV
Homelessness affects HIV risk and health , but little is known about the longitudinal effects of rental assistance on the housing status and health of homeless and unstably housed people living with HIV/AIDS . Homeless/unstably housed people living with HIV/AIDS ( N = 630 ) were r and omly assigned to  immediate Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS ( HOPWA ) rental assistance or customary care .  Self-reported data , CD4 , and HIV viral load were collected at baseline , 6 , 12 , and 18 months . Results showed that housing status improved in both groups , with greater improvement occurring in the treatment group . At 18 months , 51 % of the comparison group had their own housing , limiting statistical power . Intent-to-treat analyses demonstrated significant reductions in medical care utilization and improvements in self-reported physical and mental health ; significant differential change benefiting the treatment group was observed for depression and perceived stress . Significant differences between homeless and stably housed participants were found in as-treated analyses for health care utilization , mental health , and physical health . HOPWA rental assistance improves housing status and , in some cases , health outcomes of homeless and unstably housed people living with HIV/AIDS
Our comprehensive review and meta- analysis of these experiments find suggestive evidence of health benefits associated with investments in early life , income support , and health insurance interventions .
Housing and neighborhood trials had no effect on the outcomes included in the meta-analyses .
A positive effect of the trial on its primary socioeconomic outcome was associated with higher odds of reporting health improvements .
Early life , income , and health insurance interventions have the potential to improve health .
Policy Points Social policies might not only improve economic well-being , but also health .
Health policy experts have therefore advocated for investments in social policies both to improve population health and potentially reduce health system costs .
Since the 1960s , a large number of social policies have been experimentally evaluated in the United States .
Some of these experiments include health outcomes , providing a unique opportunity to inform evidence -based policymaking .
CONTEXT Insurers and health care providers are investing heavily in nonmedical social interventions in an effort to improve health and potentially reduce health care costs .