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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health insurance

The State of Medicare Supplement Coverage: Trends in Enrollment and Demographics
Provides an overview of Medicare Supplement, or Medigap, coverage and coverage options. Examines the demographics of Medicare enrollees with Medicare Supplement policies and enrollment trends. Includes demographic data on rural Medicare Supplement policyholders.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2024 Merit-Based Incentive Payment (MIPS) Value Pathways (MVPs) Implementation Guide
Provides an overview of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Value Pathways (MVPs), a voluntary reporting option that can be used to meet MIPS reporting requirements beginning with the 2024 performance year. Describes subgroup reporting, reporting requirements, scoring, performance feedback and public reporting, and how to register to report an MVP. Includes information on considerations and exceptions for small practices and clinicians in a rural or Health Professional Shortage Area.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS): 2024 What's New for Small Practices
Summarizes new elements of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for small practices - a group of 15 or fewer clinicians billing under a practice's Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) - during the 2024 performance year. Discusses changes to performance category requirements and flexibilities, new MIPS Value Pathways (MVPs), and performance threshold and payment adjustments. Includes information on performance category redistribution policies for small practices.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Medicare Telehealth Trends Report
Describes the trends of telehealth utilization among Medicare beneficiaries between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2023. Presents data on the percentage of Medicare beneficiaries that used a telehealth service by calendar quarter and by race/ethnicity, Medicaid eligibility, type of Medicare eligibility, sex, age group, and rural/urban residence.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Annual Insurance Update 2024: Health Insurance in Kansas
Reports on health insurance coverage across Kansas and nationwide, including 2009-2022 trends in coverage. Presents 2021 county-level data on uninsured rates by age group and urban/rural classification, as well as Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment by county.
Author(s): Angela S Wu, Kaci Cink, Cynthia Snyder, Wen-Chieh Lin
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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North Carolina Medicaid Expansion: A Rural Perspective
Reports on expanded Medicaid coverage in rural North Carolina using state-level monthly enrollment data. Compares expansion enrollment in rural, suburban, and urban counties, and evaluates whether enrollment is associated with poverty at the county level.
Author(s): Dalton Bailey
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Center
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Reconsidering and Measuring Patient Access in Medicaid
Discusses ways to measure patient access and coverage of those enrolled in Medicaid, focusing on their insurance plan quality, reimbursement rates, and clinician networks. Considers policy impacts on rural areas.
Author(s): Benjamin D. Sommers, Renuka Tipirneni
Citation: JAMA Health Forum, 5(4)
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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April 2024 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) April 2024 meeting. Covers telehealth in Medicare, alternative approaches to lowering Medicare payments for select conditions in inpatient rehabilitation facilities, approaches for updating the Medicare physician fee schedule, initial findings from an analysis of Medicare Part B payment rates and 340B ceiling prices, and more. Includes discussion of telehealth in rural areas and data on telehealth use in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) between 2020 and 2022.
Additional links: Telehealth in Medicare: Status Report - Presentation Slides
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Survey Emphasizes Scale and Significance of the RHC Program
Summarizes results of a 2024 national survey of 930 Rural Health Clinics. Presents data on the average payer mix, use and attitude toward telehealth services, Medicare Advantage (MA) contract structures, and MA reimbursement relative to traditional Medicare reimbursement, and more.
Additional links: NARHC 2024 Policy Survey Results
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Rural Health Clinics
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Transforming Oral Health Care in North Carolina
Makes recommendations for improving oral health access, supporting oral care workforce and providers, and promoting oral health quality and equity in North Carolina. Discusses oral health in rural and underserved areas throughout, including coverage of workforce distribution, dental safety net, and access barriers.
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Institute of Medicine
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