Health insurance spending on social determinants of health: 7 categories

In recent years, private health insurance companies have spent at least $1.87 billion on programs aiming to improve social determinants of health (SDOH).

But that is a relatively small percentage of profits those companies make each year, according to a new study, “Trends in Social Spending by Private Health Insurers,” published online Nov. 10 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

So where did the money go?

Here’s a look at the categories and programs that private health insurers contributed to, in the study period from the start of 2017 to the end of 2021.