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Resources by Topic: Health insurance

Drive Time to Care and Retention in HIV Care: Rural–Urban Differences Among Medicaid Enrollees in the United States South
Presents a study on the role geography plays in HIV care retention and maintenance. Draws data from Medicaid enrollees in 13 southern states including the District of Columbia and compares patient drive times to care in rural and urban areas. Breaks down data by county social determinants of health, healthcare supply, and HIV prevalence, as well as patient characteristics.
Author(s): April D. Kimmel, Rose S. Bono, Zhongzhe Pan, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12877
Date: 2025
Type: Document
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The Uneven Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Rural and Urban Black, Latino/a, and White Mortality
Examines mortality rates and the corresponding impact of Medicaid expansion on Black, Latino/a, and White populations, broken down by rural versus urban location. Utilizes 2009-2019 data of Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATET) estimates to provide statistical breakdowns and graphic representation of how Medicaid expansion has impacted mortality rates for varying populations.
Author(s): J. Tom Mueller, Regina S. Baker, Matthew M. Brooks
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 41(1), e12859
Date: 2025
Type: Document
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December 2024 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) December 2024 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, Rural Emergency Hospitals (REHs), skilled nursing facility services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, home health services, hospice services, and outpatient dialysis services.
Additional links: Assessing Payment Adequacy and Updating Payments: Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Services; and Mandated Report on Rural Emergency Hospitals - Presentation Slides, Assessing Payment Adequacy and Updating Payments: Skilled Nursing Facility Services - Presentation
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Estimating the Effects of the Medicare $2 Drug List on Part D Enrollees
Discusses the Medicare $2 Drug List (M2DL) Model, which would allow Medicare Part D enrollees to purchase monthly drugs for $2 or less. Provides projected financial impact of the model, such as out of pocket (OOP) costs for individual drugs as well as OOP changes for enrollees, with breakdowns by demographic variables, including urban, rural-micropolitan, rural-other, or unclassified location.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Trends in Medicaid and CHIP Telehealth, 2019-2021 Part II: Medicaid and CHIP Telehealth Utilization Trends by Enrollee and Provider Rurality
Explores trends in the use of telehealth among Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees before and during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). Compares trends between rural and urban enrollees, enrollees that reside in primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), and by providers' rural or urban location.
Author(s): Anupama Warrier, Amelia Whitman, Aiden Lee, et al.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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Civil Rights and Disparities in Pediatric Healthcare Access for Racial and Ethnic Minority Families in Arizona
Reports on disparities in pediatric healthcare access and quality experienced by racial and ethnic minority families in Arizona. Discusses primary findings based on testimony heard by the Arizona Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and provides suggestions to address civil rights concerns related to pediatric healthcare. Includes findings related to insurance, foster youth, healthcare provider shortages, data collection, and bias, among other topics. Discusses rural and tribal health throughout.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
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Rural-Urban Medicaid and CHIP Enrollee Comparisons Using the 2019 T-MSIS Analytic File
Compares urban and rural residents enrolled in fee-for-service or managed care Medicaid, using data from the 2019 Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files (TAF). Features demographics and statistics on Medicaid enrollment, with breakdowns by levels of rurality.
Author(s): Kristie Thompson, Hannah Friedman, Lily Wang, Mark Holmes
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Utilization of Inpatient and Emergency Services by Rural and Urban Medicaid Enrollees
Analyzes differences in healthcare utilization among rural versus urban Medicaid enrollees. Utilizes 2019 Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files data to examine inpatient and emergency department (ED) use by Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes of metropolitan, large rural, small rural, and isolated rural Medicaid populations as well as Frontier and Remote (FAR) area codes. Includes additional demographic breakdowns by age, race/ethnicity, and sex.
Author(s): Hannah Friedman, Kristie Thompson, Lily Wang, Mark Holmes
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Hospital Margins Rebounded in 2023, But Rural Hospitals and Those With High Medicaid Shares Were Struggling More Than Others
Examines hospital margins for non-federal general short-term hospitals in the U.S. from 2018 through 2023, with a focus on operating margins. Analyzes RAND Hospital Data to explore the extent to which hospitals profited or lost money on patient care and other operating activities. Discusses differences in operating margins by hospital characteristics, including hospital ownership type, commercial share, size, rural or urban location, and Medicare rural payment designation.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Critical Access Hospital Financial Sustainability Guide
Provides guidance and assistance to state Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) Program personnel, leaders of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and others helping CAHs manage long-term financial stability. Presents potential interventions CAHs may use to address ongoing and systemic financial challenges in rural healthcare.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: EideBailly, National Rural Health Resource Center
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