Health conundrum: How state budgets can find the balance between social versus medical services

Can the United States bring down overall health care costs by spending more on education, social services, and the other so-called social determinants of health? Substantial research has shown a clear link between social factors and health status, and there is some evidence that spending on these factors is also linked to improved health. For example, in the United States, Elizabeth H. Bradley and colleagues have shown a strong connection between state-level spending on social factors and such health outcomes as adult obesity, asthma, heart attacks, and type 2 diabetes.