Despite spending more on health care by percentage of GDP than its peer high-income countries, the U.S. hasn’t seen the abundance of services or improved outcomes for patients that one might expect. Instead, as medical costs increase, U.S. health outcomes continue to lag behind those of other developed nations.

Texas, which spends nearly $50 billion on health care annually, performs poorly relative to other states on key metrics like maternal mortality and deaths from preventable or treatable causes. But with its recent investments in health-impacting, non-medical services, it has a unique opportunity to get more value from its spending, according to Elena Marks, senior health policy fellow, and Charles Mathias, director of the Texas Consortium for the Non-Medical Drivers of Health. Marks and Mathias joined the Baker Briefing podcast to discuss how we can invest smarter for better health outcomes at both the state and federal levels.

For more from Marks and Mathias, read the report “Enhancing Texas’ Health Care Investments by Addressing Patients’ Non-Medical Needs,” published in September 2024.

Discussants

Elena Marks, J.D., MPH Senior Health Policy Fellow, Baker Institute

Charles Mathias, Ph.D. Director, Texas Consortium for the Non-Medical Drivers of Health, Baker Institute

The Honorable David M. Satterfield  Director, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Janice and Robert McNair Chair in Public Policy