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 .
Impact of welfare reform on mortality: an evaluation of the Connecticut jobs first program, a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVES We examined whether Jobs First , a multicenter r and omized trial of a  welfare reform  program conducted in Connecticut , demonstrated increases in employment , income , and health insurance relative to traditional welfare ( Aid to Families with Dependent Children ) . We also investigated if higher earnings and employment improved mortality of the participants . METHODS We revisited the  Jobs First r and omized trial , successfully linking 4612 participant identifiers to 15 years of prospect i ve mortality follow-up data through 2010 , producing 240 deaths . The analysis was powered to detect a 20 % change in mortality hazards . RESULTS Significant employment and income benefits were realized among Jobs First recipients relative to traditional welfare recipients , particularly for the most disadvantaged groups . However , although none of these reached statistical significance , all participants in Jobs First ( overall , across centers , and all subgroups ) experienced higher mortality hazards than traditional welfare recipients . CONCLUSIONS Increases in income and employment produced by Jobs First relative to traditional welfare improved socioeconomic status but did not improve survival
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 .