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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health insurance

Freestanding Emergency Departments: An Alternative Model for Rural Communities
Describes the freestanding emergency department (FSED) model as an option for rural communities that can no longer support inpatient services. Looks at both hospital-based and independent FSEDs, examines financial viability of the model, and features rural FSEDs in Illinois and Arizona.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 11/2016
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Impact of Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status on Risk-Adjusted Readmission Rates: Implications for the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program
Examines what would happen to hospitals' excess readmission ratios and potential penalties if socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity were added to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services risk-adjustment algorithm. Includes information on potential change in penalties for metropolitan, micropolitan, and nonmetro hospitals.
Author(s): Grant R. Martsolf, Marguerite L. Barrett, Audrey J. Weiss, et al.
Citation: Inquiry, 53
Date: 10/2016
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Health Insurance CO-OPs: Product Availability and Premiums in Rural Counties
Describes the role of CO-OPs, their regional distribution, and national prevalence in rural and urban counties. Compares the number of products available in counties with and without CO-OP plans in 2014 and 2015.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Zachariah Croll, Andrew F. Coburn
Date: 10/2016
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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The Impact of the Low Volume Hospital (LVH) Program on the Viability of Small, Rural Hospitals
Compares rural low volume hospitals (LVH) with non-LVH (Inpatient Prospective Payment System) hospitals. Discusses the financial impact of removing the LVH program and returning to the 2005 LVH classification and payment adjustment, and the effect this will have on Medicare beneficiaries.
Author(s): Rebecca G. Whitaker, G. Mark Holmes, George H. Pink
Date: 10/2016
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Aging in Rural and Frontier Oregon: Challenges Facing Rural and Frontier Home Health Agencies
Provides an overview of the services and challenges affecting home health agencies offering assistance to the aging population in rural Oregon by county. Includes discussion on healthcare access, home health agency regulation and reimbursement, recruitment and retention of healthcare providers, and physician compliance.
Author(s): Callie Walsh-Bailey, Jamie Horst
Date: 09/2016
Sponsoring organization: Oregon Office of Rural Health
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Findings from the Field: Medicaid Delivery Systems and Access to Care in Four States in Year Three of the ACA
Explores the experiences of four states that participated in Medicaid expansion as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA): Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Washington. Examines what each state is doing to transition, from outreach and enrollment activities, to improving delivery systems and access to care. Contains rural-specific content and information on how the states are dealing with the expanded Medicaid population. Addresses how Community Health Centers have responded to the Medicaid expansion.
Author(s): Samantha Artiga, Robin Rudowitz, Jennifer Tolbert, Julia Paradise, Melissa Majerol
Date: 09/2016
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2015
Provides statistics on health insurance coverage in 2015 and also focuses on changes between 2014 and 2015, as well as changes between 2013 and 2015. Tables 5 and A-5 list statistics for metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Based on data from the 2014, 2015, and 2016 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
Author(s): Jessica C. Barnett, Marina Vornovitsky
Date: 09/2016
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Oklahoma Emergency Department Utilization: July 2012 through June 2015
Reports on emergency department use in Oklahoma to help guide the state's Medicaid program, SoonerCare. Includes rural/urban breakdowns and some discussion of rural challenges.
Author(s): Mercer Government Human Services Consulting
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organization: Oklahoma Health Care Authority
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State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative Evaluation: Model Test Year Two Annual Report
Second annual report detailing the findings of CMS's State Innovation Models (SIM) Initiative, which tests the ability of the governments in six states - Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, and Oregon - to accelerate health system transformation in the areas of delivery systems, payment models, information technology, workforce development, and more. Presents results from the second of three planned site visits to the states, including interviews, focus groups, and surveys. Connections made throughout to issues specifically affecting rural healthcare.
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, RTI International
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Rural-Urban Differences in Insurer Participation for Marketplace-Based Coverage
Policy brief examining differences between rural and urban counties in terms of the number of Federally Facilitated Marketplace insurers available to consumers in 2015 and showing variation in the composition of insurers serving counties, focusing on five insurers and ownership status. Features statistics with breakdowns by number of insurers in rural and urban counties, group affiliation, and ownership status.
Author(s): Jean Abraham, Coleman Drake, Jeffrey S. McCullough, Kosali Simon
Date: 08/2016
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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