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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Calendar Year (CY) 2015 Rural Health Clinic (RHC) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) Updates: Payment Rate Increases for RHCs and FQHCs Billing Under the All-Inclusive Rate System (AIR), and Urban and Rural Designations for FQHCs Billing Under the AIR
Provides updates for RHCs and FQHCs that are submitting claims to Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) for services to Medicare beneficiaries.
Date: 12/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Coming to Terms with Housing and Homelessness in Rural Places with Jess Huff, Erin Carreon, and Mallory VanMeeter
Podcast episode discussing rural youth homelessness. Covers challenges to identifying, counting, and providing services for rural homeless teens; the role of community support services; the long-term impacts of homelessness; and how rural communities can address and prevent youth homelessness.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Impact! Communications, Inc.
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Markup of H.R. 8261, H.R. 7931, H.R. 8245, H.R. 8244, H.R. 8235, and H.R. 8246
Recording of a May 8, 2024, House Ways and Means Committee markup of six bills regarding rural health. Legislation covers the extension of telehealth flexibilities, location requirements for Critical Access Hospitals in mountainous areas, the rural nursing home and physician workforce, and Rural Emergency Hospital eligibility.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
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2022 Quality Payment Program Experience Report
Reports on the clinician experience for those participating in the Quality Payment Program in 2022. Presents data on Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligibility and participation rates for clinicians in small practices and rural areas, mean and median final scores for 2022 and 2024 payment adjustments, and payment adjustment trends from 2019 through 2022.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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2024 Annual Report of the Boards of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds
Report detailing the current state of the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) and Supplemental Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Funds. Discusses Medicare expenditures as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and makes short and long-range sustainability projections based on variable economic, demographic, and healthcare trends. Also explains the actuarial methods used to calculate the estimates. Includes information on Medicare payment policy updates since the 2023 report.
Additional links: Tables and Figures
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Board of Trustees, Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds
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Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Access to Accredited Facilities for Cancer Treatment
Examines access to cancer care at accredited hospitals in Pennsylvania due to expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Analyzes patient characteristics before and after ACA implementation, with breakdowns according to sex, age, race/ethnicity, area deprivation, and urban, large town, small town, or rural location, among other characteristics. Provides commentary on ACA impacts for patients in nonurban areas.
Author(s): Lindsay M. Sabik, Youngmin Kwon, Coleman Drake, et al.
Citation: Health Services Research
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
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Medicare Part D Enrollee Vaccine Use After Elimination of Cost Sharing for Recommended Vaccines in 2023
A report from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Research Series that provides data on Medicare Part D enrollees who received vaccinations after the IRA legislated in 2023 that adult vaccinations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) would be provided at no cost. Includes data breakdowns of total and type of vaccinations received and Medicare Part D enrollee demographic characteristics, such as state and urban versus rural/unknown location.
Author(s): Bisma A. Sayed, Yevgeniy Feyman, Kristen L. King, et al.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
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The Future of Broadband Affordability
Presents a recording of a May 2, 2024, hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband. Describes federal approaches to increase broadband access and affordability. Discusses the state of broadband affordability programs, the impact of a potential lapse or end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), and strategies to address shortfalls in broadband affordability programs.
Additional links: Blair Levin, New Street Research - Testimony, Jennifer Case Nevarez, Community Learning Network - Testimony, Kathryn de Wit, Pew Charitable Trusts - Testimony
Date: 05/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
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Coming to Terms with Housing and Homelessness in Rural Places with Marion Mollegen McFadden, HUD
Podcast episode discussing rural homelessness and housing security featuring Marion Mollegen McFadden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Describes HUD's work related to rural communities. Highlights programs and funding that help rural communities meet housing and community development needs.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Audio
Sponsoring organization: Impact! Communications, Inc.
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The 2018 Farm Bill (P.L. 115-334): Summary and Side-by-Side Comparison
Analyzes the 2018 Farm Bill by comparing House and Senate versions of the bill and the previous 2014 bill. Includes important rural provisions addressing substance abuse treatment, telemedicine funding, broadband access, and rural hospital loans.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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