Health and Society

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted health disparities in the United States, as Black, Hispanic and Native Americans have become infected and died at higher rates than others. Researchers have found that up to 80 percent of a person's health is influenced by the conditions in which they “live, learn, work and play.” The five main categories of such health-related social factors are economic stability, education, social and community context, access to quality health care and the conditions in the neighborhoods where people live. Some experts believe that addressing issues such as food insecurity and unsafe housing can improve health outcomes while reducing the cost of health care in the United States — $3.8 trillion in 2019 — the highest in the developed world. Health care organizations and insurers are pouring billions of dollars into programs designed to address individuals' and communities' social service needs in hopes that they will improve health care outcomes. And President-elect Joe Biden is establishing a task force to tackle some of these health disparities.