Trusting in the adage that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” more and more states are using Medicaid funds to address homelessness.

The theory, not fully tested, is that providing housing to the homeless, along with other social supports, will reduce their use of hospital emergency rooms, improve their overall health, and end up saving taxpayer money.  Some are skeptical, believing health care money should be spent on health care services.

Today, 19 states are using some of their Medicaid resources to provide housing to the homeless.  Leading the way is California, which is spending $12 billion to house the homeless.

Learn more about the arguments for – and against – using Medicaid money to provide housing for the homeless and what some states are doing to test the concept from the KFF Health News article “Is Housing Health Care? State Medicaid Programs Increasingly Say ‘Yes’”