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 .
Cost-effectiveness of supported housing for homeless persons with mental illness.
BACKGROUND Supported housing , integrating clinical and housing services , is a widely advocated intervention for homeless people with mental illness . 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 . METHODS Homeless veterans with psychiatric and /or substance abuse disorders or both ( N = 460 ) were r and omly assigned to 1 of 3 groups : ( 1 ) HUD-VASH , with Section 8 vouchers ( rent subsidies ) and intensive case management ( n = 182 ) ; ( 2 ) case management only , without special access to Section 8 vouchers ( n = 90 ) ; and ( 3 )  st and ard VA care  ( n = 188 ) Primary outcomes were days housed and days homeless . Secondary outcomes were mental health status , community adjustment , and costs from 4 perspectives . RESULTS During a 3-year follow-up , HUD-VASH veterans had 16 % more days housed than the case management-only group and 25 % more days housed than the st and ard care group ( P<.001 for both ) . The case management-only group had only 7 % more days housed than the st and ard care group ( P = .29 ) . The HUD-VASH group also experienced 35 % and 36 % fewer days homeless than each of the control groups ( P<.005 for both ) . There were no significant differences on any measures of psychiatric or substance abuse status or community adjustment , although HUD-VASH clients had larger social networks . From the societal perspective , HUD-VASH was 6200 US dollars ( 15 % ) more costly than st and ard care . Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios suggest that HUD-VASH cost 45 US dollars more than st and ard care for each additional day housed ( 95 % confidence interval , -19 US dollars to 108 US dollars ) . CONCLUSIONS Supported housing for homeless people with mental illness results in superior housing outcomes than intensive case management alone or st and ard care and modestly increases societal costs
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 .