A whole host of factors — such as friends, housing and transportation — affect a person’s health and how much they need the social safety net. It’s time the government’s big health insurance programs took this reality into account, some lawmakers and policymakers are starting to argue.

In response to the heightened interest in the relationship between work and the health of individuals and communities, CMCS has clarified that Medicaid funds cannot be used to pay beneficiaries’ wages, but can pay for employment counseling as an optional benefit—to help people get jobs.

Some seniors and people with disabilities receiving home- and community-based services (HCBS) could lose their Medicaid eligibility and have to go into nursing homes to get needed care if Congress adjourns without extending “spousal impoverishment” protections that are set to expire on December 31.

In December 2016, federal and state policymakers examined health and housing issues at a meeting convened in Washington, D.C., by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) with support from The Commonwealth Fund.

This article deconstructs the history, structure, and financing that have made this unique partnership between Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities, the Office of Homeless Services, and the Housing Authority, possible.

In December 2016, federal and state policymakers examined the intersection of unstable housing and negative health outcomes at a meeting convened in Washington, D.C., by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) with support from The Commonwealth Fund.