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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health insurance

MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2018
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Includes discussion on Medicare payment policies directly affecting rural providers and beneficiaries. Addresses Medicare Part D, Medicare Advantage, telehealth, payment incentive programs, and payment adequacy for healthcare facilities and services.
Additional links: Chapter 14 Online-Only Appendixes: The Medicare Prescription Drug Program (Part D): Status Report (March 2018 Report, Revised June 25, 2018), Chapter 16 Online-Only Appendixes: Mandated Report: Telehealth Services and the Medicare Program (March 2018 report), Errata Sheet: Table 9-7, Page 255 (March 2018 Report, Revised May 30, 2018)
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, March 2018
Reports on three aspects of Medicaid: managed care, telehealth, and Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments. Chapter 2 discusses how the use of telehealth services can help patients access healthcare services in rural and frontier areas. Chapter 3 includes the third annual report on DSH payments, which provide support to safety-net hospitals to help offset uncompensated care costs for Medicaid and uninsured patients. Table 3-2 identifies DSH spending for urban and rural hospitals and for Critical Access Hospitals.
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Residential Settings and Healthcare Use of the Rural "Oldest-Old" Medicare Population
Results of a study using Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data to profile rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries ages 85+ in terms of their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, residential settings, health and functional status, and healthcare use. Features statistics on these topics with breakdowns by rural and urban location.
Author(s): Nathan Paluso, Zachariah Croll, Deborah Thayer, Jean A. Talbot, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Competition and Premium Costs in Single-insurer Marketplaces: A Study of Five Rural States
Examines participation in the individual health insurance market from 2010, before the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), through 2017 and analyzes premium changes in 5 rural states with a single-insurer health insurance marketplace. States include Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming.
Author(s): Jon R. Gabel, Heidi Whitmore, Matthew Green, Sam Stromberg
Date: 03/2018
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Body Mass Index and Rural Status on Self-Reported Health in Older Adults: 2002-2012 Medicare Expenditure Panel Survey
Presents a study comparing self-reported mental and physical health of older adults with rural status and obesity status. Pulls data from the Medicare Expenditure Panel Survey and breaks it down by age, race, and marital status, among other factors.
Author(s): John A. Batsis, Karen L. Whiteman, Matthew C. Lohman, Emily A. Scherer, Stephen J. Bartels
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 34(Suppl1), s56-s64
Date: 02/2018
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Pediatric Medicaid Patients' Utilization of Outpatient and Emergency Department Services in New York State
Research brief using data from 614,249 unique patients ages 0-20 years who had at least one Medicaid visit to an emergency department (ED) in New York during 2014. Features statistics with breakdowns by urban or rural residence and outpatient settings, and a map showing rates of pediatric avoidable ED visits in rural and urban New York counties.
Author(s): Simona Surdu, Nafin Harun, Robert Martiniano
Date: 02/2018
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Minnesota's Changing Health Insurance Landscape: Results from the 2017 Minnesota Health Access Survey
Analyzes trends from the 2017 Minnesota Health Access Survey to better understand how Minnesotans obtained health insurance. Discusses rural and urban differences in individual health insurance coverage and health insurance coverage rates in isolated rural Minnesota.
Date: 02/2018
Sponsoring organizations: Minnesota Department of Health, Health Economics Program, State Health Access Data Assistance Center, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health
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Rural/Urban Disparities in Pneumococcal Vaccine Service Delivery Among the Fee-for-Service Medicare Population
Describes a study to identify disparities in vaccine provision to people ages 65 and over, and to assess the impact of pharmacies as alternate site providers in rural areas. Includes statistics on pneumococcal vaccine services provided by fee-for-service pharmacies and primary care providers, with breakdowns by rural and urban frequency, and a state-level map with rate of service delivery per eligible population, using 2014 data.
Author(s): Jeffery C. Talbert, Aric Schadler, Patricia R. Freeman
Date: 02/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
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Rural Health Care Costs: Are They Higher and Why Might They Differ from Urban Health Care Costs?
Explores issues surrounding healthcare costs and investigates differences between rural and urban expenditures. Includes statistics on Medicare fee-for-service expenditures in 2014 with breakdowns by metropolitan and non-metropolitan status.
Author(s): Dunc Williams, Mark Holmes
Citation: North Carolina Medical Journal, 79(1), 51-55
Date: 01/2018
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Distance and Networks: A Regional Analysis of Health Insurance Marketplaces
Examines whether Rating Area design and network adequacy standards have contributed to the level of success of Health Insurance Marketplaces (HIMs) in rural areas in terms of enrollment and affordability. Uses 2015-2016 data from 15 Midwestern states, on participation, premiums, and enrollment success.
Author(s): Abigail R. Barker, Alena R. Wheeler, Leah M. Kemper, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 01/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
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