Nearly half of US consumers have unmet health-related social needs, survey finds

Responses from a recent McKinsey & Company survey indicate the health care system is falling short in meeting consumers’ health-related social needs (HRSNs).

Consumers across the country are experiencing unmet HRSNs, according to McKinsey & Company’s Health-Related Social Needs Consumer Survey, which asked more than 5,000 U.S. consumers about their perceptions of their HRSNs.

Researchers conducted the survey in 2022 to gain insights around HRSNs to inform policies and programs that can improve health outcomes.

“Increasing recognition of the impact of these needs on consumers’ health and livelihoods is driving momentum across the health care ecosystem to integrate health and social care, creating opportunities for health care entities to design consumer-centric models of care tailored to individual needs and preferences,” wrote the research team.

The survey revealed that:

• Nearly half of U.S. consumers (45 percent) have unmet HRSNs, and most of those individuals have more than one.
• The most reported needs included childcare (32 percent), the ability to pay for utilities or purchase basic goods (31 percent), and social support (28 percent).
• HRSNs affect consumers across socioeconomic levels, insurance types, and races and ethnicities.
• Consumers with unmet HRSNs reported worse physical and mental health, as well as more barriers to needed health care.
• Many consumers (21 percent) do not seek HRSN-related support, and of those who do, most seek it from family or friends (23 percent), followed by community organizations (17 percent) and government agencies (17 percent).
• Consumers with unmet HRSNs prefer convenient, personalized, and transparent support.

The survey findings can guide health insurance companies, health systems, employers, and others in taking more action to address HRSNs, said the researchers, who made five recommendations for entities across the health care system to better meet consumers’ HRSNs.

Their recommendations include:

1. Acknowledge the impact HRSNs have on consumers and design programs that can better meet their needs.
2. Implement consumer-centric solutions that align with consumer preferences.
3. Collaborate with cross-sector partners to address a range of HRSNs.
4. Include the needs of an individual’s caregivers and family members since they are the people consumers typically look to for support.
5. Provide increased convenience and personalization in HRSN programming to address barriers to care.