Rural Health Policy – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Health Policy.
Rural Action Plan
Provides an overview of the rural health care and human services landscape. Outlines a Four-Point strategy to build a sustainable health and human services model for rural communities, leverage technology and innovation, focus on preventing disease and mortality, and increase rural access to care. Identifies opportunities to transform rural health and human services through federal government partnership and describes new policies and programs to implement the Four-Point Strategy. Highlights actions already taken by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support rural communities.
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Provides an overview of the rural health care and human services landscape. Outlines a Four-Point strategy to build a sustainable health and human services model for rural communities, leverage technology and innovation, focus on preventing disease and mortality, and increase rural access to care. Identifies opportunities to transform rural health and human services through federal government partnership and describes new policies and programs to implement the Four-Point Strategy. Highlights actions already taken by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support rural communities.
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Left Out: Barriers to Health Equity for Rural and Underserved Communities
Summarizes responses to a Request for Information from the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee's Rural and Underserved Communities Health Task Force. Describes factors contributing to healthcare challenges in rural areas, including demographics, social and structural determinants of health, insurance coverage, access to care, and workforce shortages. Highlights promising models of healthcare delivery in rural areas. Includes state-by-state health equity maps.
Additional links: State and Territory Health Equity Maps, Summary
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
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Summarizes responses to a Request for Information from the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee's Rural and Underserved Communities Health Task Force. Describes factors contributing to healthcare challenges in rural areas, including demographics, social and structural determinants of health, insurance coverage, access to care, and workforce shortages. Highlights promising models of healthcare delivery in rural areas. Includes state-by-state health equity maps.
Additional links: State and Territory Health Equity Maps, Summary
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
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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
Type: Document
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
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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HHS OIG Recommendations Tracker
Lists recommendations identified by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to improve U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programs. Recommendations can be filtered by agency, issue area, target group, financial group, and more. Updated monthly.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Lists recommendations identified by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to improve U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) programs. Recommendations can be filtered by agency, issue area, target group, financial group, and more. Updated monthly.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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CMS Cross Cutting Initiative: Rural Health
A fact sheet that provides examples of how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working to eliminate disparities in rural healthcare access related to workforce shortages, facility closures, and infrastructure issues. Discusses innovative healthcare payment models from 2023 that address barriers to value-based care in rural healthcare delivery.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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A fact sheet that provides examples of how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working to eliminate disparities in rural healthcare access related to workforce shortages, facility closures, and infrastructure issues. Discusses innovative healthcare payment models from 2023 that address barriers to value-based care in rural healthcare delivery.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Toward Racial Equity & Rural Prosperity: Legal & Policy Resources for Rural Communities
Resources for local and state policymakers discussing inequity in rural communities for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). Includes resources for policymaking, water access, housing, and broadband.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: ChangeLab Solutions
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Resources for local and state policymakers discussing inequity in rural communities for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). Includes resources for policymaking, water access, housing, and broadband.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: ChangeLab Solutions
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Health Costs, Coverage and Delivery State Legislation Database
Identifies enacted state legislation addressing healthcare costs, access, and health system efficiencies. Topics covered include alternative payment methods, health insurance marketplaces, health system consolidation and competition, Medicaid reforms, price transparency, surprise billing, and telehealth. Searchable by state, topic, keyword, year, status, and primary sponsor. Updated every two weeks, with information on legislation starting in 2022.
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Identifies enacted state legislation addressing healthcare costs, access, and health system efficiencies. Topics covered include alternative payment methods, health insurance marketplaces, health system consolidation and competition, Medicaid reforms, price transparency, surprise billing, and telehealth. Searchable by state, topic, keyword, year, status, and primary sponsor. Updated every two weeks, with information on legislation starting in 2022.
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
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Pennsylvania Rural Health Model
Provides information on a joint CMS and the Pennsylvania Department of Health model designed to improve the financial viability of rural Pennsylvania hospitals and reduce the growth of hospital expenditures across payers, including Medicare. Includes information on participating hospitals and details about the performance period and model targets.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides information on a joint CMS and the Pennsylvania Department of Health model designed to improve the financial viability of rural Pennsylvania hospitals and reduce the growth of hospital expenditures across payers, including Medicare. Includes information on participating hospitals and details about the performance period and model targets.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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CMS Open Door Forum Podcast and Transcripts
Provides audio recordings and transcripts of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Door Forum calls since January 2020, including the Rural Health Open Door Forums.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides audio recordings and transcripts of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Door Forum calls since January 2020, including the Rural Health Open Door Forums.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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CMS: Rural Health
Provides information about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) rural health initiatives, including the CMS Rural Health Council. Also provides links to rural-specific resources, publications, and reports.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Provides information about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) rural health initiatives, including the CMS Rural Health Council. Also provides links to rural-specific resources, publications, and reports.
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
Last Updated: 10/30/2024