Does Housing Improve Health Care Utilization and Costs? A Longitudinal Analysis of Health Administrative Data Linked to a Cohort of Individuals With a History of Homelessness

Abstract

These findings highlight the effects of housing on health care encounters and costs over a 4-year study period. The rate of prescription medications was higher during person-years spent housed or inconsistently housed compared with the homeless. The cost analysis suggests that housing may reduce health care costs over time; however, future work is needed to confirm the reason for the reduction in total costs observed in later years.