Social connections as healthcare: leveraging intergenerational relationships and managed care plans to address the loneliness epidemic

This paper examines the role of social determinants of health (SDOH) in healthcare, particularly focusing on social and community contexts that influence health outcomes among older adults. It argues that traditional healthcare models fail to adequately integrate social and psychological well-being, despite growing recognition of loneliness as a public health crisis. Using a biopsychosocial lens of development alongside the hierarchical compensatory model (HCM) as a theoretical framework, this paper explores how social relationships buffer against health risks. We propose a solution through managed care plans (such as Medicare Advantage and Medicaid Managed Care), which can integrate intergenerational telephonic reassurance programs to proactively address social isolation. These programs, where younger individuals (e.g. college students) regularly check in with older adults, can help reduce healthcare costs by preventing loneliness-driven health deterioration. Unlike fee-for-service models that prioritize quantity over quality, managed care plans can flexibly fund these initiatives.