Community plays an important role in healthcare

Healthcare is much more than visits to the doctor, prescription medication, and insurance to cover the bill. Of course, how we care for our health includes our own eating, exercise and sleep habits, but it also includes the support we receive from the community around us.

Community support can play a huge role in an individual’s ability to address their health needs, whether it’s access to healthcare providers to assist with medical care or community organizations that can address social needs. The community around us offers resources to assist with everything from engaging social activities to mental health counseling and food banks to housing assistance.

Building healthier communities helps reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations.

Health Equity

Investing in community resources is crucial to providing equitable resources to everyone and eliminating unnecessary barriers in health and healthcare. This is a nationwide effort that must be addressed together – by corporations, by healthcare providers, and by community leaders and organizations.

An equitable healthcare ecosystem means every person has a fair, just and dignified opportunity to reach their full health potential. So what does that look like? At Humana , for example, we strive to ensure our members with the greatest needs have access to high-quality primary and preventive care, and we work to minimize issues that are often associated with receiving care – things like transportation, literacy, geographic and cost barriers. In fact, Humana Healthy Horizons contributed $10 million in community investments to support and fund equity-focused programs and community organizations in 2023. This mentality is also woven into the fabric of our culture, as demonstrated by our recent recognition as No. 6 on Fair360’s list of the Top 50 Companies for Workplace Fairness .

Our online Humana Community Navigator tool had nearly 282,000 referrals last year, connecting our Medicare Advantage and Medicaid members to community resources available to them. Resources on the tool are filtered by ZIP code and are free, reduced or on a sliding scale. As we continue to develop this tool, we will improve our ability to connect individuals with the resources that are right for their needs.

Social Determinants of Health

The conditions in the places where people spend their time affect their quality of life and health outcomes. This, of course, includes healthcare access and quality, but it also includes economic stability, education, social context, and the environment in the neighborhood.

The supply of affordable housing is a critical health-related social need (HRSN) that affects the ability of vulnerable populations to maintain their health and well-being. Humana has committed $90 million in recent years to improving housing stability nationwide to help prevent homelessness, stabilize individuals with significant health risks, and increase community capacity. When people have a safe, stable place to live, they are able to focus more on their health.

The 2023 Humana Impact Report outlines multiple programs throughout the country designed to address the needs of the community, to include Family Focused Recover (FFR) programs, mobile health clinics, and the Uniting to Combat Hunger Campaign co-created with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) .

Technology

Technology is enabling the expansion of healthcare in so many ways. We are continuously exploring opportunities to use technology to support our members. For example, in 2023 we launched a virtual care and social needs pilot in Michigan for our Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan members who have chronic conditions. About 900 Humana members worked with a personal assistant to address their health needs, such as scheduling wellness visits and addressing other health-related needs.

Understanding our members’ social and structural barriers to health helps us identify the greatest needs at a local level. Our Population Health Analytics Suite (PHAS) is an innovative tool that is helping us identify opportunities to improve health and reduce disparities. In 2023, more than 1.8 million members across Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and commercial plans were screened for social needs, including 26% of our Medicare Advantage members being screened for HRSNs.

These examples just scratch the surface of the work being done in communities across the country. To learn more about the impact the Humana team is having at the community level, read the recently published 2023 Humana Impact Report .