Payer Recognized for Health Equity, Social Determinants of Health Efforts

Health Net has been recognized in an Institute for Medicaid Innovation (IMI) report for the payer’s work in health equity, along with various other stakeholders that have made progress on reducing social determinants of health barriers and advancing health equity during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The pandemic meant we needed to rapidly pivot how we do our work to continue meeting the needs of our members,” said Dr. Pooja Mittal, chief health equity officer at Health Net. “We are proud of the work our teams have done to help members stay connected to care and services, whether through telehealth or community outreach. We will continue these efforts for years to come.”

In a report, IMI spotlighted various organizations’ responses to the pandemic and the challenges that arose for patients with social determinants of health needs and health equity barriers. Health Net was featured for its telehealth capacity support, Family Hui Initiative, Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH) street medicine program, and Los Angeles food bank pilot.

Health Net distributed $13.4 million through 138 telehealth grants in order to expand access to telehealth by improving providers’ capacity to offer care remotely. 

The highest share of providers (42 percent) said that the grants helped cover patient screenings, while a little over 30 percent of the grantees said that the funds went toward continuing wellness and checkup visits through telehealth. Other uses for the grants included health education, counseling on healthy behaviors, and mental healthcare services.

During the height of the pandemic, Health Net started funding the MLKCH and University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine’s street medicine program. Street medicine is a form of healthcare that targets patients without housing or with unstable housing situations.

Family Hui is an initiative that the community-based organization Lead4Tomorrow launched to help support child development in five California counties. The organization provides resources and support for trauma-informed parenting, resilience-building, and other needs.

The MLKCH street medicine program offered both specialty care and primary care services as well as mental healthcare and substance abuse care. Health Net reported that the program resulted in lower hospital and emergency department rates among the homeless community in southern Los Angeles and a drop in hypertension and diabetes care disparities.

Health Net also sought to expand access to nutrition for food-insecure communities in Los Angeles by financially supporting the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. 

The organization used funds from Health Net to bolster its home-delivered grocery pilot program which aimed to promote a connection between health insurers and members, improve access to healthy foods, and offer educational opportunities regarding healthy behaviors.

Although the coronavirus pandemic is more controlled than it was in 2020, its influence continues to be felt across the US and disparities in care and experience are still evident.

In 2021, employers projected that mental health and chronic disease needs would continue to rise among employees in the next year.

By the end of that year, payers were still seeing the impacts of the pandemic on their members.

Payers have continued to employ new strategies to address social determinants of health and promote health equity in 2022.