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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Work Requirements in Kentucky Medicaid: A Policy in Limbo
Highlights a study on the effects of Kentucky's proposed work requirement policy for Medicaid. Examines the awareness of the policy among the public and its effect on employment and healthcare coverage. Details participants' age, marital status, and whether they live in a rural or urban area.
Author(s): Joy Madubuonwu, Lucy Chen, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Serving Rural America: Health Insurance Providers at Work
Offers 5 case studies to showcase the ways in which health insurance providers are working to ensure access to high quality healthcare in rural areas. Examples feature 8 insurance providers in Maryland, Pennsylvania, California, and Oregon sharing different approaches to healthcare delivery, financing, and community engagement.
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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DAMA Subcommittee Oversight Hearing: Update on VA Contracted Exams, Quality Review Process, and Service to Rural Veterans
Provides a recording and related documents from a House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs hearing examining rural access to timely Contracted Compensation and Pension (C&P) Exams, which are used to determine eligibility for VA benefits.
Additional links: Witness Testimony
Date: 09/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
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ACA and Medicaid Expansion Associated with Increased Insurance Coverage for Rural Americans with Disabilities
Fact sheet exploring ways in which Affordable Care Act (ACA) policy changes and Medicaid expansion affected people with disabilities, especially those in rural areas. Features statistics including changes in insurance coverage for urban and rural people with and without disabilities from 2006-2017, and differences in coverage in Medicaid expansion or non-expansion states, with breakdowns by urban or rural locations.
Author(s): Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Montana: Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
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Sociodemographic and Health Status Characteristics of Maine's Newly Eligible Medicaid Beneficiaries
Describes the sociodemographic characteristics, access to healthcare, and health status for Maine's adults with low income and no dependent children using data derived from the 2011-2016 Maine Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, in preparation of Medicaid expansion. Offers recommendations to policymakers, providers, and other stakeholders supporting the effective implementation of Medicaid expansion to address the health needs of potential enrollees.
Author(s): Zachariah Croll, Erika Ziller, Barbara Leonard
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Catherine Cutler Institute, Maine Health Access Foundation
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Provider Shortages and Limited Availability of Behavioral Health Services in New Mexico's Medicaid Managed Care
Examines the supply and distribution of behavioral health providers and prescribers across New Mexico, with a focus on services available to Medicaid managed care enrollees. Includes data for rural and frontier counties. Discusses rural broadband connectivity challenges that impact the use of telehealth to address access. Offers policy recommendations. Findings are likely to be relevant to behavioral healthcare access in other states' rural and frontier counties.
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Promoting Health Coverage of American Indian and Alaska Native Children
Provides an overview of the health disparities American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children face. Reports on healthcare coverage trends for AI/AN children from 2008 to 2015, with information on 3 public sources of coverage: the Indian Health Service (IHS), Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Includes recommendations to improve coverage for AI/AN children.
Author(s): Lauren Roygardner, Andy Schneider, Doug Steiger
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
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Greater Good Podcasts Rural Health Segment, Part 1: How Did We Get Here? Rural Health Challenges in America
Set of three podcast episodes featuring Erika Ziller and Yvonne Jonk of the Maine Rural Health Research Center discussing current rural health issues and challenges, as well as historical factors related to the current rural health system. Addresses rural aging and long-term care, dental care, health insurance coverage, and health-related impacts of growing up in a rural community. Also compares rural health in Maine, other parts of the U.S., and rural communities in other countries.
Additional links: Part 2: Growing Up Rural, Part 3: Rural Health in Maine and America vs. the World
Author(s): Carrie Wilshusen, Erika Ziller, Yvonne Jonk
Date: 09/2019
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center
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Improving Access to and Equity of Care for People with Serious Illness Proceedings of a Workshop
Summarizes an April 2019 public workshop on models of care delivery for people with serious illness. Includes discussion of access to care in rural areas, including access to hospice and palliative care.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Roundtable on Quality Care for People with Serious Illness
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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State Strategies to Address Opioid Use Disorder Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women and Infants Prenatally Exposed to Substances, Including Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Identifies state strategies to improve outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder and infants prenatally exposed to substances, including opioids. Discusses strategies focused on access to and coordination of quality services, including approaches such as telemedicine that are useful in rural areas. Also discusses strategies related to provider awareness and training and other topics.
Author(s): Charlan D. Kroelinger, Marion E. Rice, Shanna Cox, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 68(36), 777-783
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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