Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
Improving Rural Health: State Policy Options for Increasing Access to Care
Discusses strategies from state legislatures and other stakeholders to increase access to healthcare in rural areas. Focuses on policies and policy options for state legislatures in three areas: improving health insurance coverage, safeguarding rural health facilities, and changing rural healthcare delivery. Features examples from Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Jack Pitsor
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Discusses strategies from state legislatures and other stakeholders to increase access to healthcare in rural areas. Focuses on policies and policy options for state legislatures in three areas: improving health insurance coverage, safeguarding rural health facilities, and changing rural healthcare delivery. Features examples from Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Jack Pitsor
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Population Health in Rural America in 2020 - A Virtual Workshop
Recording of a 2-day workshop on rural population health. Features presentations by experts in the field, with discussion on rural demographics and social determinants of health; health disparities; public health, healthcare, and community efforts to improve health outcomes in rural America; health policy; and more. Presentation slides and workshop agenda are available to download.
Author(s): Roundtable on Population Health Improvement
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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Recording of a 2-day workshop on rural population health. Features presentations by experts in the field, with discussion on rural demographics and social determinants of health; health disparities; public health, healthcare, and community efforts to improve health outcomes in rural America; health policy; and more. Presentation slides and workshop agenda are available to download.
Author(s): Roundtable on Population Health Improvement
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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COVID-19: Opportunities to Improve Federal Response and Recovery Efforts
Provides an overview of key federal actions and spending allocations in response to the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifies challenges related to federal actions including the Payment Protection Program, economic impact payments, and Medicaid's Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) formula. Offers lesson learned from the initial pandemic response and recommends areas for further legislative action.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of key federal actions and spending allocations in response to the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifies challenges related to federal actions including the Payment Protection Program, economic impact payments, and Medicaid's Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) formula. Offers lesson learned from the initial pandemic response and recommends areas for further legislative action.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Out‐of‐Network Air Ambulance Bills: Prevalence, Magnitude, and Policy Solutions
Examines the prevalence and cost of surprise air ambulance bills among privately insured patients. Describes air ambulance rates for commercial payers in relation to Medicare rates. Compares the number of air ambulance claims from urban and rural locations. Offers policy solutions to address surprise and out-of-network bills for these services.
Author(s): Erin C. Fuse Brown, Erin Trish, Bich Ly, Mark Hall, Loren Adler
Citation: Milbank Quarterly, 98(3), 747-774
Date: 06/2020
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Examines the prevalence and cost of surprise air ambulance bills among privately insured patients. Describes air ambulance rates for commercial payers in relation to Medicare rates. Compares the number of air ambulance claims from urban and rural locations. Offers policy solutions to address surprise and out-of-network bills for these services.
Author(s): Erin C. Fuse Brown, Erin Trish, Bich Ly, Mark Hall, Loren Adler
Citation: Milbank Quarterly, 98(3), 747-774
Date: 06/2020
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The Two-Generation Approach: Recommendations for Bridging Practice and Policy in Maine
Policy brief describing components that define successful two-generation strategies to promote economic, educational, health, social, and emotional well-being of Maine families. Gives several examples of efforts in various locations, including rural Maine.
Author(s): Sarah Griffen
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: John T. Gorman Foundation
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Policy brief describing components that define successful two-generation strategies to promote economic, educational, health, social, and emotional well-being of Maine families. Gives several examples of efforts in various locations, including rural Maine.
Author(s): Sarah Griffen
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: John T. Gorman Foundation
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5G Deployment: FCC Needs Comprehensive Strategic Planning to Guide Its Efforts
Provides an overview of wireless networks and the development and deployment of 5G networks. Describes challenges of expanding networks to rural and low-income communities. Discusses the potential impact of 5G deployment on the digital divide between rural and urban areas. Offers recommendations regarding performance goals and mitigating the digital divide.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of wireless networks and the development and deployment of 5G networks. Describes challenges of expanding networks to rural and low-income communities. Discusses the potential impact of 5G deployment on the digital divide between rural and urban areas. Offers recommendations regarding performance goals and mitigating the digital divide.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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American Broadband Initiative Progress Report June 2020
Provides an overview of federal agency actions taken to increase broadband access and private-sector investments in broadband in response to the American Broadband Initiative's 2019 Milestones Report. Documents actions taken by federal agencies to promote broadband access since February 2019 across three categories: streamlining federal permitting, leveraging federal assets, and federal funding.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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Provides an overview of federal agency actions taken to increase broadband access and private-sector investments in broadband in response to the American Broadband Initiative's 2019 Milestones Report. Documents actions taken by federal agencies to promote broadband access since February 2019 across three categories: streamlining federal permitting, leveraging federal assets, and federal funding.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: National Telecommunications and Information Administration
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Broadband: Observations on Past and Ongoing Efforts to Expand Access and Improve Mapping Data
Reviews previous and ongoing industry and federal government investments in the deployment of broadband in the United States. Compares the availability of fixed broadband services in urban, rural, and tribal areas. Describes federal programs to expand and support broadband access, as well as proposed reforms for mapping broadband deployment data.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Reviews previous and ongoing industry and federal government investments in the deployment of broadband in the United States. Compares the availability of fixed broadband services in urban, rural, and tribal areas. Describes federal programs to expand and support broadband access, as well as proposed reforms for mapping broadband deployment data.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2020
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Includes chapters on value-based payment in Medicare, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the Medicare Advantage quality bonus program, the impact of changes in the 21st Century Cures Act to risk adjustment for Medicare Advantage enrollees, Medicare Part D, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, and the Medicare end-stage renal disease prospective payment system. Examines the current payment policy for low-volume and rural dialysis facilities and proposes changes.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Includes chapters on value-based payment in Medicare, Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the Medicare Advantage quality bonus program, the impact of changes in the 21st Century Cures Act to risk adjustment for Medicare Advantage enrollees, Medicare Part D, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, and the Medicare end-stage renal disease prospective payment system. Examines the current payment policy for low-volume and rural dialysis facilities and proposes changes.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, June 2020
Semi-annual report to Congress from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC). Discusses care integration for beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, recommendations for increasing enrollment in Medicare Shared Savings Programs, the role of Medicaid in relation to TRICARE, how to address increasing mortality and morbidity among pregnant and postpartum women, and the effects of substance use disorder on pregnant and postpartum women and their infants. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Semi-annual report to Congress from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC). Discusses care integration for beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, recommendations for increasing enrollment in Medicare Shared Savings Programs, the role of Medicaid in relation to TRICARE, how to address increasing mortality and morbidity among pregnant and postpartum women, and the effects of substance use disorder on pregnant and postpartum women and their infants. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 06/2020
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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