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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health insurance

Hospital Policy Issues: Statement by Mark Miller, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission before Subcommittee on Health, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives
Testimony from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's executive director presented at a July 22nd, 2015, Ways and Means subcommittee hearing concerning Medicare hospital payment issues, rural health issues, and beneficiary access to care. Discusses Medicare's rural hospital payment adjustments, how they impact access to care, and principles to consider in evaluating rural add-on payments. Also discusses MedPAC recommendations related to graduate medical education (GME), including some related to rural training.
Author(s): Mark E. Miller
Date: 07/2015
Sponsoring organizations: House Ways and Means Committee, Subcommittee on Health, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Differences in Part D Plans Offered to Rural and Urban Medicare Beneficiaries
Analyzes how Medicare Part D plan options differ for rural and urban residents in terms of premiums, deductibles, and copayments, as well as differences in plan options within more-densely and less-densely populated rural areas. Includes statistical breakdowns by three location types, number of available plans, average premiums, deductible amounts, and average co-pays.
Author(s): Heidi O'Connor, Carrie Henning-Smith, Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice
Date: 07/2015
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Rural and Urban Differences in Choice of and Satisfaction with Medicare Part D Plans
Examines how drug plan selection experiences and satisfaction levels differ for rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries. Includes breakdowns by three locations types, considerations in choosing plans, and percentage of people who felt satisfied and confident in their coverage.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Heidi O'Connor, Michelle Casey, Ira Moscovice
Date: 07/2015
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2015
Includes chapters on coordinating Medicare policy across payment models, Part B drug payment policy, value-based incentives for managing Part B drug use, multiple drug use including opioids among Medicare Part D enrollees, hospital short-stays, and new methods of measuring quality of care. Rural hospitals, rural referral centers, and rural patient populations are discussed throughout this report.
Date: 06/2015
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Characteristics of Children in Medicaid Managed Care and Medicaid Fee-for-service, 2003-2005
Examines how children enrolled in Medicaid fee-for-service programs compare to those in comprehensive managed care programs. Includes information on sociodemographic, health, and geographic characteristics. Table 5 provides figures by type of Medicaid program for urban and rural enrollees.
Author(s): Patricia C. Lloyd, Alan E. Simon, Jennifer D. Parker
Date: 06/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Rural Women Delivering Babies in Non-Local Hospitals: Differences by Rurality and Insurance Status
Describes the factors, including health insurance status and degree of rurality, that influence rural pregnant women to give birth in non-local hospitals.
Author(s): Katy Kozhimannil, Michelle Casey, Peiyin Hung, Shailendra Prasad, Ira Moscovice
Date: 06/2015
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Dynamics of Economic Well-Being: Participation in Government Programs, 2009-2012: Who Gets Assistance?
Provides information on the characteristics and participation rates of people receiving benefits from Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), housing assistance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and general assistance. Tables in the appendices include metropolitan and non-metropolitan participation rates by program.
Author(s): Shelley K. Irving, Tracy A. Loveless
Date: 05/2015
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Report to Congress: Overview of the 340B Drug Pricing Program
Provides a general overview of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, including eligibility criteria for hospitals and providers, analysis of the program's financial impact, and a summary of the debate over the program's importance, especially to rural and underserved communities.
Date: 05/2015
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Health, United States, 2014: With Special Feature on Adults Aged 55-64
Presents an annual overview of national trends in health statistics. Covers health status and determinants, healthcare utilization, access, and expenditures. Includes data on rural areas - see index under "Metropolitan/nonmetropolitan data." 2014 edition includes a special section on adults aged 55-64, covering health status, health behaviors, health insurance coverage, healthcare utilization, and more.
Date: 05/2015
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Public Law 114-10: Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015
Full text of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, commonly referred to as MACRA. MACRA seeks to transition healthcare from fee-for-service to value-based care by repealing the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula and replacing it with the Quality Payment Program (QPP). The QPP streamlines data collection efforts and rewards providers based on value instead of volume through the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs).
Date: 04/2015
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Congress
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