What is the SE/M ratio and why should social services care?
How do we measure whether government spending truly aligns with our communities’ health needs? In British Columbia, one of the simplest and most powerful answers is the SE/M ratio — a key performance indicator that compares Social and Education spending (SE) to Medical spending (M).
It is a tool that is gaining traction with researchers, policymakers and advocates alike. And it is one that every social services organization should be using.
On May 15, we are inviting you to a free Get Well Canada webinar that will show you how to use the SE/M ratio to strengthen your messaging, make the case for funding and advocate for healthier communities.
What the SE/M ratio tells us
The SE/M ratio reflects how governments allocate resources between the root causes of well-being — like housing, income, education and child care — and the treatment of illness through medical care.
A ratio above 1.0 means that a government is spending more on social and educational supports than on medical care — a pattern linked to better health outcomes, lower health-care costs and reduced inequality.
A ratio below 1.0 means that more money is being funnelled into clinics and hospitals, even as the social conditions that make people sick remain underfunded.
In 1976, B.C.’s SE/M ratio was 1.22. That year, we spent 22 per cent more on social and education services than on medical care. Since then, the ratio has dropped steadily. In 2023, it was 0.92. By 2026, it is projected to fall even further to 0.87 — a sign that we are investing more and more in treating sickness, and less in preventing it.
Why does this matter to you
If you work in social services, you already know how deeply your programs impact people’s health. Whether you are supporting safe housing, delivering child care, advocating for income supports or running youth and family programs, your work is frontline health work — even if it is not often funded that way.
The SE/M ratio gives us a concrete, measurable way to show that investing in social services is investing in health. It shifts the narrative from “health equals health care” to “health starts in our homes, communities and support systems.”
This is why Get Well Canada is calling on governments to track and report the SE/M ratio in annual budgets — and why we are inviting social sector leaders to use this tool in their own advocacy.
Join the webinar, learn the tool
On May 15, join us to explore how you can apply the SE/M ratio in your messaging, funding proposals and public advocacy. Learn how this simple metric can elevate your voice, strengthen your organization’s role in policy conversations and help create a healthier and more equitable B.C.
Let us shift the numbers — and the narrative — together.
B.C.’s health depends on more than medical care. Let us make sure budgets reflect that.
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