AHIP Launches Project Link to Address Social Determinants
Through Project Link, the largest advocacy organization for insurance providers in the US seeks to address social barriers and create solutions.
Source: AHIP
- America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) is launching a new initiative to overcome social determinants called Project Link, the organization announced at their 2019 AHIP Institute and Expo.
“We all have a responsibility better health for all Americans. Project Link solves for this disconnect, bringing us together with a collective vision for enhancing quality of life, improve community health and reduce long term costs,” said Matt Eyles, president and CEO of AHIP.
The program is designed to help payers tackle social barriers such as transportation access, safe housing, maintaining a healthy diet, and other non-medical factors that contribute over 70 percent to an individual’s health and wellbeing.
Project Link encompasses three major components:
- A learning collaborative in which insurance providers can discuss social determinants of health and social barriers, sharing how to set up new programs, what tools to use for tracking results, and how to know if the programs are successful
- The new Project Link Website shares positive solutions for non-medical health factors through access to AHIP staff’s research, AHIP members’ programs, and various digital resources including The Healthcare Policy Podcast
- New payer partnership opportunities with different kinds of entities encourage healthy outcomes through conquering social barriers
AHIP intends for Project Link to provide diverse solutions, not represent a one size fits all approach, Rashi Venkataraman, Executive Director of Prevention and Population Health at AHIP emphasized.
“Partnering with individuals and their diverse communities on solutions is fundamental to our mission of improving the health of our members through innovative services and partnerships across communities,” Ghita Worcester, senior vice president public affairs and chief marketing officer, UCare.
The program aims to attract health insurance providers from across the industry to set new strategies and goals for payers, conduct research, and develop state and federal policy agendas addressing social determinants.
For more information, visit www.ahip.org/project-link.
