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 Supported Housing on Clinical Outcomes: Analysis of a Randomized Trial Using Multiple Imputation Technique
In 1992 , the US Department of Housing and Urban Development ( HUD ) and the US Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) established the HUD-VA Supported Housing ( HUD-VASH ) Program to provide integrated clinical and housing services to homeless veterans with psychiatric and /or substance abuse disorders at 19 sites . At four sites , 460 subjects were r and omly assigned to one of the three groups : ( 1 ) HUD-VASH , with both Section 8 vouchers and intensive case management ; ( 2 ) case management only ; and ( 3 ) st and ard VA care . A previous publication found HUD-VASH result ed in superior housing outcomes but yielded no benefits on clinical outcomes . Since many participants missed prescheduled visits during the follow-up period and follow-up rates were quite different across the groups , we reanalyzed these data using multiple imputation statistical methods to account for the missing observations . Significant benefits were found for HUD-VASH in drug and alcohol abuse outcomes that had not previously been identified
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 .