Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare business and finance

Rural and Urban Differences in Choice of and Satisfaction with Medicare Part D Plans
Examines how drug plan selection experiences and satisfaction levels differ for rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries. Includes breakdowns by three locations types, considerations in choosing plans, and percentage of people who felt satisfied and confident in their coverage.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Heidi O'Connor, Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice
Date: 07/2015
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
Differences in Part D Plans Offered to Rural and Urban Medicare Beneficiaries
Analyzes how Medicare Part D plan options differ for rural and urban residents in terms of premiums, deductibles, and copayments, as well as differences in plan options within more-densely and less-densely populated rural areas. Includes statistical breakdowns by three location types, number of available plans, average premiums, deductible amounts, and average co-pays.
Author(s): Heidi O'Connor, Carrie Henning-Smith, Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice
Date: 07/2015
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2015
Includes chapters on coordinating Medicare policy across payment models, Part B drug payment policy, value-based incentives for managing Part B drug use, multiple drug use including opioids among Medicare Part D enrollees, hospital short-stays, and new methods of measuring quality of care. Rural hospitals, rural referral centers, and rural patient populations are discussed throughout this report.
Date: 06/2015
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Charity Care and Uncompensated Care Activities of Tax-Exempt Critical Access Hospitals
Analyzes charity care, uncompensated care, and bad debt activities of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) compared with other rural non-CAH and urban hospitals. Discusses the implications of ACA-mandated hospital financial assistance, emergency care, and billing and collection policies for CAHs.
Additional links: Policy Brief
Author(s): John Gale, Jamar Croom, Zachariah Croll, Andrew Coburn
Date: 06/2015
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
view details
Rural Women Delivering Babies in Non-Local Hospitals: Differences by Rurality and Insurance Status
Describes the factors, including health insurance status and degree of rurality, that influence rural pregnant women to give birth in non-local hospitals.
Author(s): Katy Kozhimannil, Michelle Casey, Peiyin Hung, Shailendra Prasad, Ira Moscovice
Date: 06/2015
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
Characteristics of Children in Medicaid Managed Care and Medicaid Fee-for-service, 2003-2005
Examines how children enrolled in Medicaid fee-for-service programs compare to those in comprehensive managed care programs. Includes information on sociodemographic, health, and geographic characteristics. Table 5 provides figures by type of Medicaid program for urban and rural enrollees.
Author(s): Patricia C. Lloyd, Alan E. Simon, Jennifer D. Parker
Date: 06/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
view details
Cost Effectiveness of On-site versus Off-site Depression Collaborative Care in Rural Federally Qualified Health Centers
Highlights a study on the cost-effectiveness of on-site versus a telehealth-based collaborative care when treating depression in a rural Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Considers variable, fixed, inpatient, and outpatient costs, among others.
Author(s): Jeffrey M. Pyne, John C. Fortney, Sip Mouden, et al.
Citation: Psychiatric Services, 66(5), 491-499
Date: 05/2015
view details
Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Participation in Government Programs, 2009-2012: Who Gets Assistance?
Provides information on the characteristics and participation rates of people receiving benefits from Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), housing assistance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and general assistance. Tables in the appendices include metropolitan and non-metropolitan participation rates by program.
Author(s): Shelley K. Irving, Tracy A. Loveless
Date: 05/2015
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
view details
Report to Congress: Overview of the 340B Drug Pricing Program
Provides a general overview of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, including eligibility criteria for hospitals and providers, analysis of the program's financial impact, and a summary of the debate over the program's importance, especially to rural and underserved communities.
Date: 05/2015
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
view details
Graduate Medical Education Financing: Sustaining Medical Education in Rural Places
A policy brief reporting on the financial situation of rural training track (RTT) residency programs, including their sources of funding, expenses, and the relationship between urban RTT sponsors and rural program sites.
Author(s): Davis G. Patterson, David Schmitz, Randall Longenecker, David Squire, Susan M. Skillman
Date: 05/2015
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
view details