2025 SOA Health Meeting Virtual Event: Session 2B: SOA Research Report - Incorporating SDOH in Risk Adjustment -07.22.25- Recording

We recently completed an SOA-funded research study that estimates the financial impact of incorporating social determinants of health (SDOH) into Medicaid risk adjustment. The study involved recalibrating an open-source risk adjustment model using Medicaid data from two states, integrating SDOH risk factors, and analyzing the interactions between morbidity and SDOH. Additionally, we simulated variations in financial outcomes for risk-bearing organizations resulting from this integration and examined how the relationships between SDOH, morbidity, and modeled risk vary across programs and populations.
In this session, we will cover the study's design, data sources, methodology, and key findings. We also will discuss practical considerations for actuaries and state agencies interested in incorporating SDOH into risk adjustment models, along with recommendations for future research and development in this area.
By the end of the session, attendees will gain actionable insights and tools to critically assess and effectively integrate SDOH into their own actuarial work, including measurement, analysis design, and interventions.