Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Federal Programs
Nancy De Lew, Benjamin D. Sommers
Abstract
Although high-quality, affordable health care is essential to addressing medical conditions when they arise, the strongest predictor of health outcomes in the US is not medical care but rather the broader social context in which people live and work. These social determinants of health, such as economic conditions, housing, nutrition, the environment, transportation, and education, are estimated to account for half of the county-level variation in health outcomes and are a major driver of health disparities. 1 Advancing racial equity and supporting underserved communities is a central priority of the Biden-Harris administration. To improve the health of the US population and dismantle long-standing inequities, a comprehensive federal approach addressing social determinants is now underway.