How NC Is Using Medicaid to Address Social Determinants of Health

Lower-income people often face social and structural barriers to achieving health, including food and housing insecurity; access to quality education; and access to clean air, land, and water. To respond to the unmet social needs affecting residents’ health, North Carolina has developed a pilot program, the Healthy Opportunities Pilots, to leverage opportunities for flexibility offered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that allow state governments to use Medicaid dollars to address social determinants of health. Medicaid—a joint federal-state partnership that provides health coverage primarily to low-income people and families in America—has been one of the most effective initiatives at improving health and addressing health disparities in the country. Read more here.