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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Benefit enrollment and application

Trends in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates: Fiscal Year 2020 and Fiscal Year 2022
Presents information on eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) alongside actual participation in SNAP. Presents information on households, children, elderly, refugees, low-income families, persons with disabilities, and other groups enrolled in the program. Tables A.3 and B.3 show rural versus urban participation.
Additional links: Summary
Author(s): Alma Vigil, Nima Rahimi
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
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Beneficiary and Clinician Perspectives on Medicare and Other Issues: Findings from 2024 Focus Groups in Select States
Summarizes findings from 24 focus groups of Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligible) beneficiaries, and clinicians conducted between May and June 2024, including three virtual focus groups of rural Medicare beneficiaries. Highlights themes that emerged across the focus groups covering Medicare coverage options, access to care, telehealth, organization of care, and prescription drugs.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, NORC at the University of Chicago
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Minnesota Chartbook Section 5: Public Health Insurance Programs
Provides information on public insurance programs in Minnesota, including Medicare, Medical Assistance (Medicaid), and MinnesotaCare. Includes data on enrollment, spending, distribution of enrollees, and enrollee location by region and county.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Minnesota Department of Health
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Nationwide Availability of and Enrollment in Medicare and Medicaid Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans With Exclusively Aligned Enrollment
Explores the availability and enrollment of dual-eligible special needs plans (D-SNPs) with exclusively aligned enrollment, in which the beneficiary can receive Medicare and Medicaid benefits through the same plan or affiliated plans within the same organization. Analyzes 2021-2022 beneficiary data and examines D-SNP plan availability and enrollment according to beneficiary demographics, health status, rurality, and more.
Author(s): Kenton J. Johnston, Michelle Hendricks, Megha Dabas, et al.
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 5(10)
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
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The 2024 State of Poverty in Ohio Report
Provides an overview of poverty in Ohio, with a focus on childhood poverty, family impacts, food security, healthcare access, and more. Includes county-level data on poverty rates, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)-approved vendors, and maternity care access.
Date: 10/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies
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Assessing SNAP Participants' Fitness for Work: Final Report
Examines how assessments are made and implemented regarding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) work requirements. Discusses variations of work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) across 4 case study states: Georgia, Maryland, Texas, and Wisconsin. Includes SNAP applicant characteristics and determinations for work requirements by demographic information and urbanicity of metropolitan, micropolitan, or rural. Provides feedback from rural SNAP staff regarding difficulties assessing SNAP participants' fitness for work.
Additional links: Appendices, Summary
Author(s): Chrissy Steigelman, Irma CastaƱeda, Jackie Kauff, Katherine Allison-Clark, Johnny Willing
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
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National- and State-Level Estimates of WIC Eligibility and Program Reach in 2022: Final Report, Volume 1
Compares eligibility versus participation in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits in 2022 using Community Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS-ASEC), American Community Survey (ACS), and National Vital Statistics data. Discusses trends over time for infants and pregnant women as well as by breastfeeding status, race and ethnicity, Medicaid participation, and urbanicity. Includes state and regional comparisons.
Additional links: Appendices, Summary
Author(s): Courtenay Kessler, Andrew Bryant, Kate Munkacsy, Kelsey Farson Gray
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
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Kansas Marketplace Enrollment Reached Record High for Third Consecutive Year
Provides a data overview of the Kansas 2024 open enrollment period (OEP) for health insurance plans. Includes health insurance information and county-level maps showing percentage of population selecting a plan and the number of insurers available per region.
Author(s): Cynthia Snyder, Viktoria Sterkhova, Kaci Cink, Linda J. Sheppard
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report
Provides information on the use of federal nutrition programs in the summer of 2023, when COVID-19 waivers ended and normal operations resumed. Includes national and state findings, policy opportunities, and information about the the rural non-congregate meal option.
Author(s): Kelsey Boone, Crystal FitzSimons
Date: 08/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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Food as Medicine Survey Findings: How Anti-Hunger Organizations Partner With Health Care Providers to Address Food Insecurity
Analyzes how anti-hunger organizations are partnering with healthcare providers and facilities to promote food security and connect patients with federal food assistance programs. Utilizes 2023/2024 quantitative and qualitative survey data from 56 respondents and provides characteristics of the respondent's organization; types of healthcare facilities involved; food assistance programs to which patients are referred; screening and referral process; and demographics of people served, such as race/ethnicity, age group, special populations, and geographic location of urban, suburban, or rural. Includes a case study of the Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) and their use of mobile food delivery to reach rural populations.
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Food Research & Action Center
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