Tapping into the Benefits of Social Investments: Addressing Financing Silos

State and local communities are placing a greater emphasis on addressing the full spectrum of a patient’s clinical, behavioral and social needs. Multi-stakeholder approaches to increase and target social (or population health) spending, and coordinate efforts across the health and social services sectors, have been shown to improve outcomes and even save money on net for certain populations. However, program rigidity and other barriers can stifle needed investments, even if these investments pay for themselves on net. This research brief discusses the nature of these barriers and uses case studies and evidence review to explore the strategies to remove financing barriers and improve funding for population health.