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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Access

Medicaid Financing Cliff: Implications for the Health Care Systems in Puerto Rico and USVI
Issue brief providing an overview of the status of healthcare systems and Medicaid programs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) a year and a half after hurricanes hit the islands in September 2017. Focuses on challenges and includes an analysis of the implications for the islands' Medicaid finances, as most of the temporary disaster relief funding is set to expire in September 2019. Features statistics on the two territories' past and projected Medicaid spending.
Author(s): Robin Rudowitz, Cornelia Hall, Barbara Lyons
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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LIFT America: Modernizing Our Infrastructure for the Future
Recording of a hearing from the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce regarding the Leading Infrastructure For Tomorrow's America Act (The LIFT America Act), which addresses access to broadband; the healthcare, energy, transportation, and water infrastructures; public health; and more. Includes testimonies from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Trust for America's Health, U.S. Conference of Mayors, American Enterprise Institute, BlueGreen Alliance, and the former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner.
Additional links: Christopher Guith Testimony, Daniel Lyons Testimony, Jessica Eckdish Testimony, John Auerbach Testimony, Mignon Clyburn Testimony
Date: 05/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Committee on Energy and Commerce
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Trends in Individuals' Access, Viewing and Use of Online Medical Records and Other Technology for Health Needs: 2017-2018
Examines the use of online medical records by individuals. Addresses how frequently they access them, why they access them or don't access them, and who accesses them. Contains breakdowns by health insurance coverage, gender, income level, rural/urban location, and more. Includes information on use of health and wellness apps.
Author(s): Vaishali Patel, Christian Johnson
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
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Life in Rural America: Part II
Highlights the results of a survey of quality of life, safety, and health for rural adults in the United States. Survey inquires into the experiences of rural adults in the areas of health, access to healthy food, and social, civic, and economic well-being.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, NPR, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth
Focuses on the impact of social determinants of health on adolescents. Discusses adolescent development; how the environment affects biology; and how societal factors such as education, healthcare, the child welfare system, and the justice system create disparities. Offers recommendations for each area and includes some discussion of rural disparities in the health system chapter.
Additional links: Read Online, Report Highlights
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Overcoming Racial Disparities and Social Determinants in the Maternal Mortality Crisis
Provides testimonies and the recording of a hearing before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on disparities in maternal mortality. Discusses disparities by race and geographic location, social determinants of health, challenges in rural access to obstetrics, and potential steps for action. Includes testimony from the American Medical Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Maternal Mortality Projects Coordinator at the Virginia Department of Health, and others.
Additional links: Lisa Hollier Testimony, Loren Robinson Testimony, Melanie Rouse Testimony, Patrice Harris Testimony, American Medical Association, Video Recording
Date: 05/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
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The Competition Conundrum
Reports on an analysis of hospital and health insurance carrier market competition in Colorado and offers county-level data. Assesses the relationship between market competition and health insurance premiums. Includes discussion on health insurance market challenges specific to rural areas. Offers suggestions to improve market competition and conditions.
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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Report on Promoting Broadband Internet Access Service for Veterans Pursuant to the Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act of 2018
Provides an overview of broadband access and broadband adoption for low-income and rural veteran households. Details barriers for veterans accessing broadband and efforts to increase access, such as the Universal Service Fund and Rural Health Care programs. Discusses the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) special focus on providing healthcare services for veterans in rural and remote locations via telehealth. Offers recommendations for Congress regarding broadband access for low-income and rural veterans.
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Communications Commission
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Report on Broadband Deployment in Indian Country, Pursuant to the Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act of 2018
Provides an overview of fixed and mobile broadband deployment throughout tribal lands. Offers data comparing rural and urban tribal and non-tribal household broadband coverage. Discusses programs and other actions to increase access to broadband on tribal lands, including a focus on the Rural Health Care Program.
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Federal Communications Commission
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Reducing Cancer Among Native Populations: Models for Research, Prevention, and Treatment
Highlights the work of a cancer researcher, a foundation director, and healthcare provider who are engaging American Indians and Alaska Natives in cancer research, prevention, and treatment.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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