A new study finds significantly higher health care risks linked to community health status and social factors that affect health. The study, which looked at employees of mid- and large-sized companies across the country, found that where an employee lives and the social factors they experience can have a dramatic effect on their health care costs.

The report, called "Community insights: Key factors that influence employee health," is the seventh annual white paper by Health Action Council (HAC) and UnitedHealth Group exploring community health and the social determinants of health (SDOH).

The new study looks at claims data for employees and finds that there are significant connections between where employers live and how that effects life expectancy and health care costs for both employers and their employees. The report examined claims data from 2022 and 2023 for more than 200,000 employees with an average age of 34.