Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Federal Health Centers and COVID-19
Describes the early federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Health Center Program facilities, including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Describes the funding directed to the Health Center Program and the flexibilities for FQHCs to provide telehealth services during the public health emergency.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details

Selected Health Provisions in Title III of the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136)
Provides an overview of the healthcare-related provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Focuses on sections of the law addressing medical supply shortages, testing and preventative services, and support for the healthcare workforce. Discusses provisions related to telehealth services and rural healthcare systems.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details

Confronting Rural America's Health Care Crisis
Offers policy recommendations to stabilize the rural healthcare infrastructure and ensuring local access to care. Discusses strategies to provide financial relief to rural providers, preserve obstetric services, expand telehealth services, and address workforce shortages. Includes brief references to policy actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional links: Rural Hospital Transformation Models, Summary, The Case for Expanding Telehealth Services, July 2020
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Bipartisan Policy Center Rural Health Task Force
view details

Tackling the Trifecta: State Approaches to Addressing Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders, HIV, and Hepatitis C
Highlights the approaches to addressing co-occurring substance use disorder, HIV, and HCV in New York, West Virginia, and Louisiana. Breaks down data in each state by gender and details considerations for rural areas.
Author(s): Eliza Mette, Jodi Manz, Kristina Long
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
view details

Health Care Provisions in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, P.L. 116-127
Provides an overview of the healthcare-related provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Focuses on coverage of COVID-19 testing and related items for individuals covered by Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, CHIP, TRICARE, Veterans healthcare, the IHS, and most private plans. Includes a discussion of changes to Medicare coverage of telehealth services.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
view details

Community Health Centers in a Time of Change: Results from an Annual Survey
Summarizes results from the Kaiser Family Foundation/Geiger Gibson 2019 Community Health Center Survey. Explores trends in patient health coverage, healthcare affordability, and health center revenue; social determinants of health; potential implications of Medicaid work requirements; participation in the Title X program; and other challenges facing health centers. Includes rural references throughout. Presents survey response data by urban and rural status in Appendix A.
Author(s): Jessica Sharac, Anne Markus, Jennifer Tolbert, Sara Rosenbaum
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
view details

CAH Medicaid Payer Mix in Expansion vs. Non-Expansion States
Examines the change in median Medicaid payer mix among Critical Access Hospitals between 2013 and 2018 and compares the change across states that adopted Medicaid expansion and those that did not.
Author(s): Savannah Stallings, George Pink, Kristin Reiter
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
view details

Medicaid and CHIP in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Summarizes key requirements and design features of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Features statistics on program costs from fiscal years 2011-2019, with breakdowns by federal spending and U.S. Virgin Islands spending.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details

Medicaid and CHIP in the Territories
Summarizes federal requirements and design features of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as operating in American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Features statistics including number of enrollees and percentage of the population enrolled, and program costs, with breakdowns by federal or territory spending levels and by location, using data from fiscal year 2019.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details

Medicaid and CHIP in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Summarizes key requirements and design features of Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in the Northern Mariana Islands. Features statistics on program costs from fiscal years 2011-2019, with breakdowns by federal spending and Northern Mariana Islands spending.
Date: 04/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
view details