UnitedHealthcare tackles homelessness as a root cause of poor health, and Philly is a test bed

The average homeless person costs taxpayers 120,000 Canadian dollars a year, while it takes just 18,000 Canadian dollars to house someone. In Alberta, Canada, the “housing first” strategy gets homeless people into homes regardless of whether they are mentally ill, alcoholic, or even drug abusers. The strategy almost eliminates homelessness.

Permanent supportive housing in New York City provides more than housing for people experiencing homelessness. Those living in housing at the Brook have access to social workers, a doctor, building security, and an event planner.

Rural hospitals across the country often struggle to stay open in states where Medicaid has not been expanded, but a method known as "swing beds" has helped two critical-access hospitals in Georgia to avoid this fate. This method, which allows hospitals to swing beds from "only patients in need of acute care to those who no longer require the emergency department but still needed more treatment before a nursing home," allowed for the hospitals to pay off debt and expand services.

Australia's health care system combines public and private health insurance to create a hybrid model that caters to every citizen. Although there is some uncertainty surrounding the future of the private health care program due to the younger generation's tendency to choose the public option, overall, "the outcomes for both systems have been quite good," especially when compared to America's system.

Australia's hybrid system of both private and public health care offers, literally, something for everyone in the country. Although there are questions about the longevity of the private sector of insurance as it pertains to the future, and the universal public health system leaves something to be desired especially as it pertains to equitably cover everyone, "in the aggregate, the system works very well."

Taiwan's single-payer health care model has helped to guarantee health care access to everyone in the country, no matter their socioeconomic status, geographical location or pre-exisitng conditions. Although the model evolved from a once-broken system, the idea of "one national health insurance plan, run by the government, covering everybody" quickly grew in popularity due to its simplicity, comprehensive benefit structure, and relatively low and consistent premiums.

The hub-and-spoke model allows local partners to provide individuals with access to resources earmarked specifically for opioid addiction treatment. The system of care, which uses regional clinics and non-profits as access points to treatment, has already proven effective in Vermont. Currently, a similar program is assisting individuals suffering from opioid addiction receive the help they need through entry points at nonprofits like The Doorway office at Harbor Homes.

Throughout the country, issues of health care exclusivity and rising drug prices are being addressed with creative solutions. Innovating new medicines and medicine deliver systems, such as an alternative EpiPen, is proving to be a helpful way to work around these surging prices.

Rwanda is a poor, rural country with a troubled history. Yet the country has built an effective national health system by tackling the diseases of poverty, such as diarrhea and pneumonia, with smart use of international aid and local health workers.

For those addicted to opioids, getting treatment can take a long time because not all emergency rooms offer buprenorphine and counseling interventions. Yale-New Haven Hospital has shown that if patients receive buprenorphine at their initial emergency room evaluation, then the immediate action improves the person’s chances in receiving addiction treatment.