Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010: Impacts on Rural People, Places, and Providers: A Second Look
Addresses the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on rural communities with a focus on health insurance coverage, Medicare and Medicaid payment, quality and delivery system reform, public health, healthcare workforce, and long-term care.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Jennifer P. Lundblad, A. Clinton MacKinney, et al.
Date: 04/2014
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Addresses the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on rural communities with a focus on health insurance coverage, Medicare and Medicaid payment, quality and delivery system reform, public health, healthcare workforce, and long-term care.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, Jennifer P. Lundblad, A. Clinton MacKinney, et al.
Date: 04/2014
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Telecommunications: Projects and Policies Related to Deploying Broadband in Unserved and Underserved Areas
Shares options for broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas. Identifies alternative approaches to expanding rural broadband and factors to consider when planning a broadband project. Identifies economic, legal, and policy issues. Describes FCC efforts to foster broadband deployment in unserved areas. Appendix includes brief case studies.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2014
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Shares options for broadband deployment in unserved and underserved areas. Identifies alternative approaches to expanding rural broadband and factors to consider when planning a broadband project. Identifies economic, legal, and policy issues. Describes FCC efforts to foster broadband deployment in unserved areas. Appendix includes brief case studies.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 04/2014
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Compendium of Priority Recommendations: March 2014
Annual report identifying the top 25 unimplemented recommendations from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) that, in OIG's view, would have the most substantial positive impact on Health and Human Services (HHS) programs. Positive impact may refer to cost savings, program efficacy and efficiency, and/or quality improvement. Primary areas of interest in the March 2014 edition include: improving quality assurance programs in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and updating location requirements and conditions of participation for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Date: 03/2014
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Annual report identifying the top 25 unimplemented recommendations from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) that, in OIG's view, would have the most substantial positive impact on Health and Human Services (HHS) programs. Positive impact may refer to cost savings, program efficacy and efficiency, and/or quality improvement. Primary areas of interest in the March 2014 edition include: improving quality assurance programs in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and updating location requirements and conditions of participation for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).
Date: 03/2014
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2014
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussions of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report.
Date: 03/2014
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussions of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report.
Date: 03/2014
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Health Insurance Coverage of Low-Income Rural Children Increases and Is More Continuous Following CHIP Implementation
Compares insurance coverage of low-income children before and after the passage of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), with rural/urban comparisons. Addresses the uninsurance rate and health insurance continuity for low-income children in rural areas over time using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller
Date: 03/2014
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Compares insurance coverage of low-income children before and after the passage of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), with rural/urban comparisons. Addresses the uninsurance rate and health insurance continuity for low-income children in rural areas over time using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller
Date: 03/2014
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Realizing Rural Care Coordination: Considerations and Action Steps for State Policy-Makers
Identifies action steps and policy considerations for coordinating care in rural areas based on the experiences of six states: Colorado, Alabama, New Mexico, Montana, Vermont, and North Carolina.
Author(s): Michael Stanek, Carrie Hanlon, Tess Shiras
Date: 03/2014
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Identifies action steps and policy considerations for coordinating care in rural areas based on the experiences of six states: Colorado, Alabama, New Mexico, Montana, Vermont, and North Carolina.
Author(s): Michael Stanek, Carrie Hanlon, Tess Shiras
Date: 03/2014
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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'It's about the Smoke, Not the Smoker': Messages That Motivate Rural Communities to Support Smoke-free Policies
Discusses the results of a series of focus groups and surveys with community activists in three rural Kentucky counties regarding the use of promotional materials used to endorse smoke-free policies.
Author(s): Ganna Kostygina, Ellen J. Hahn, Mary Kay
Citation: Health Education Research, 29(1), 58-71
Date: 02/2014
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Discusses the results of a series of focus groups and surveys with community activists in three rural Kentucky counties regarding the use of promotional materials used to endorse smoke-free policies.
Author(s): Ganna Kostygina, Ellen J. Hahn, Mary Kay
Citation: Health Education Research, 29(1), 58-71
Date: 02/2014
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FMG/J1 Visa Waiver Physicians
National Rural Health Association's policy brief describing their position on Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) seeking a waiver for their J1 Visa.
Author(s): Jerry Coopey, Susan Frazier, Chris Felton, Jonathan Wade, Vicki Weidenbacher-Hoper.
Date: 02/2014
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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National Rural Health Association's policy brief describing their position on Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) seeking a waiver for their J1 Visa.
Author(s): Jerry Coopey, Susan Frazier, Chris Felton, Jonathan Wade, Vicki Weidenbacher-Hoper.
Date: 02/2014
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Rural Veterans: A Special Concern for Rural Health Advocates
Policy brief describing the special healthcare needs of rural veterans. Offers policy recommendations to address these issues. Covers access to primary care, specialty care, physical therapy, women's health services, and mental health services focusing on traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Author(s): J. Alison Alfers, Hilda R. Heady
Date: 02/2014
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Policy brief describing the special healthcare needs of rural veterans. Offers policy recommendations to address these issues. Covers access to primary care, specialty care, physical therapy, women's health services, and mental health services focusing on traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Author(s): J. Alison Alfers, Hilda R. Heady
Date: 02/2014
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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The Future of the Frontier Extended Stay Clinic
Describes the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) demonstration project. Identifies the successes and challenges, and discusses the financial sustainability of the FESC model. Includes policy recommendations and lessons learned.
Author(s): Susan Wilger, Saskia Van Hecke
Date: 02/2014
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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Describes the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) demonstration project. Identifies the successes and challenges, and discusses the financial sustainability of the FESC model. Includes policy recommendations and lessons learned.
Author(s): Susan Wilger, Saskia Van Hecke
Date: 02/2014
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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