This website is being reviewed for updates. Some information is offline. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Rural Public Health: Issues and Considerations
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Overview of the rural public health infrastructure. Addresses public health leadership, workforce preparedness, support for safety net providers, the impact of managed care, telecommunications, and funding for rural public health.
Date: 02/2000
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Rural Health in the United States
A comprehensive review of the health status and healthcare resources of the rural areas of the United States. Updates the book, "Health Care in Rural America", published by the Office of Technology Assessment in 1990. Preview available via Google Books.
Author(s): Thomas C. Ricketts, III (editor)
Date: 1999
view details
Physician Distribution and Health Care Challenges in Rural and Inner-City Areas
In-depth review of the geographic maldistribution of physicians. Discusses issues that impact rural physician supply. Includes policy recommendations to improve the geographic distribution of physicians and address rural physician shortages.
Date: 02/1998
Sponsoring organization: Council on Graduate Medical Education
view details
Pacific Partnerships for Health: Charting a New Course
Provides an overview of health care services in the U.S. Associated Pacific Basin and discusses the U.S. role in the region's health care delivery systems.
Additional links: Read Online
Date: 1998
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
view details
Public Law 105-33: Balanced Budget Act of 1997
Includes the entire text of Public Law 105-33, commonly known as the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. The legislation created the Critical Access Hospital designation and outlines details of the program, including eligibility and operational regulations.
Date: 08/1997
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Congress
view details
Rural Health Clinics: Rising Program Expenditures Not Focused on Improving Care in Isolated Areas
A review of the Rural Health Clinic (RHC) program. Examined whether the RHC program provides primary care access to Medicare and Medicaid recipients who otherwise would not have it. Also looked at controls in place for payments to RHCs from Medicare and Medicaid.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/1997
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
National Rural Health Policy: Recommendations from the First Eight Years of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health
Summarizes activities and accomplishments of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health from 1988-1996. Includes chapters on health workforce, Medicare payment policy, special needs of rural populations, and issues impacting rural health which the committee may address in the future.
Date: 01/1997
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Health Care Shortage Areas: Designations Not a Useful Tool for Directing Resources to the Underserved
Discusses the Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and Medically Underserved Area (MUA) designations and how well these designations help target federal resources to benefit those who are underserved.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 09/1995
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
view details
American Indian and Alaska Native Areas
Chapter 5 of the U.S. Census Bureau's Geographic Areas Reference Manual details the classifications used for defining American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Breaks down the definitions of American Indian Reservations, Trust Lands, and Alaska Native Regional Corporations, among others. Highlights a state-level breakdown of type and number of AI/AN communities.
Date: 11/1994
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
view details
If You Knew the Conditions: Health Care to Native Americans
Summarizes the history of administration of healthcare to Native American recipients by the United States government. Includes biographies of famous Native American physicians. Online version of a 1994 exhibit on Native American Health.
Date: 1994
Sponsoring organization: U.S. National Library of Medicine
view details