La Follette students contributed to the development of the framework used in this paper’s analysis.
Summary
Homeless and transitionally housed persons face substantial barriers to obtaining medical care. Consequently, many of their medical needs remain unmet and the care they do receive is often through emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations resulting in substantial uncompensated hospital expenses. Using a propensity-score matched comparison group, we assess how Helping Educate and Link the Homeless (HEALTH), a hospital-based outreach program, affected the overall utilization of hospital services by participants over a two-year period. Our findings suggest that HEALTH offers net savings to the hospital and even larger net benefits to society when quality-of-life benefits for participants are imputed.
Information
- Course: Cost-Benefit Analysis Public Affairs 881, Fall 2014
- Authors: Bethany Ackeret, David L. Weimer, Erik A. Ranheim, Lisa Urban, Elizabeth Jacobs
- Student Contributors: Linda Collins, Hope Harvey, Katie Kruse, and Katherine Sydor