VBC for County Employees
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This post is sponsored by NACo corporate partner, Humana
How Humana's expansive coverage and VBC model benefits county employees
The number of non-metro counties in the U.S. far outweighs the number of metro counties—there are 1,958 non-metro counties versus 1,186 metro counties, according to recent statistics (1).
With this in mind, a key consideration when selecting a carrier should be the needs of county employees living in non-metro, more rural areas. It’s important to ensure your carrier has comprehensive coverage for rural areas, where healthcare may be more difficult to access.
Over the years, Humana has expanded its Medicare Advantage (MA) footprint. As of 2026, Humana has MA plan offerings in 46 states and Washington, D.C., covering 85% of U.S. counties.
Beyond Humana’s expansive coverage and wide variety of plans, county employees in both rural and urban areas also benefit from Humana’s emphasis on value-based care (VBC)—this is a patient-centered healthcare model that rewards providers based on improving patient health outcomes instead of volume of services delivered.
Humana’s latest VBC report underscores the benefits of value-based care. Here are some highlights from the report:
Better care, better results
- 85% of MA VBC patients saw their primary care physician at least once in 2024
- vs. 74% of MA non-VBC patients
- 24.3% fewer inpatient admissions for VBC patients vs. Original Medicare
- 229K admissions saved
- 13.4% fewer ER visits for VBC patients compared with non-VBC MA members
- 204K+ ER visits saved
Improved chronic condition management
MA members with chronic disease are better supported in VBC arrangements:
- More eye exam screenings and kidney health evaluations for diabetes patients
- Improved use of statin therapy for patients with cardiovascular disease
- Higher medication adherence rates for hypertension and diabetes medication
VBC benefits everyone
- Plan sponsors: Approximately $12.8 billion is saved by Humana MA value-based arrangements—that’s a 26.3% reduction in medical costs over Original Medicare
- Patients: The Net Promoter Score for VBC-aligned MA members is 13 points higher than for non-VBC aligned members
With value-based care tied to improvements in quality of care, healthcare costs and the overall patient experience, an increasing number of Humana’s MA members are aligned with VBC providers. In particular, Humana has seen significant growth in the number of rural members connected to VBC primary care physicians: this figure jumped to 54% of Humana’s MA rural population in 2025, up from 19% in 2020. Meanwhile, 75% of Humana’s MA urban population is aligned with VBC doctors.
With plan offerings available in many U.S. counties and a VBC model that provides top-tier care to members in areas where access to care may be difficult, Humana Group Medicare is a win-win for county government employees and plan sponsors.
1 “Rural-Urban Continuum Codes – Documentation,” U.S. Department of Agriculture web page, January 7, 2025, accessed June 1, 2026.