Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Health insurance
Certain Medicare Beneficiaries, Such as Urban and Hispanic Beneficiaries, Were More Likely Than Others To Use Telehealth During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Data brief examining telehealth usage by Medicare beneficiaries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting rural and urban differences, state-level trends, and usage by race/ethnicity and age according to Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service claims data. Offers policy recommendations and agency responses.
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Data brief examining telehealth usage by Medicare beneficiaries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, noting rural and urban differences, state-level trends, and usage by race/ethnicity and age according to Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service claims data. Offers policy recommendations and agency responses.
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2023
Comment on a July 29, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve payment systems for physicians and other Medicare Part B revisions. Includes a discussion of the coverage of certain telehealth services after the COVID-19 public health emergency, as well as rebasing and revising the Medicare Economic Index (MEI).
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comment on a July 29, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule revising the physician fee schedule to improve payment systems for physicians and other Medicare Part B revisions. Includes a discussion of the coverage of certain telehealth services after the COVID-19 public health emergency, as well as rebasing and revising the Medicare Economic Index (MEI).
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Telehealth Reimbursement Guide for California, 2022 Edition
Provides an overview of telehealth and explains telehealth reimbursement criteria for Medicare, Medi-Cal, and other insurance programs in California. Includes specific information for Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers.
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: California Telehealth Resource Center
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Provides an overview of telehealth and explains telehealth reimbursement criteria for Medicare, Medi-Cal, and other insurance programs in California. Includes specific information for Critical Access Hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, and Federally Qualified Health Centers.
Date: 09/2022
Sponsoring organization: California Telehealth Resource Center
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Health Insurance Marketplaces: Issuer Participation Trends in Non-Metropolitan Places, 2014-22
Policy brief examining the changes in Health Insurance Marketplace (HIM) plan issuers from 2014-2022. Presents statistics on the average number of issuers per county in each year for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore counties and by region.
Author(s): Eliot Jost, Abigail Barker, Leah Kemper, et al.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Policy brief examining the changes in Health Insurance Marketplace (HIM) plan issuers from 2014-2022. Presents statistics on the average number of issuers per county in each year for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore counties and by region.
Author(s): Eliot Jost, Abigail Barker, Leah Kemper, et al.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Health Panel Comment Letter – Medicare Advantage Program
Offers comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Request for Information on various aspects of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. Presents a rural perspective on the MA program and discusses health equity in the MA program, expanding access to care, and value-based contracting. Includes data on the proportion of MA plans offering supplemental benefits in noncore, micropolitan, and metropolitan counties in 2020.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Offers comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Request for Information on various aspects of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. Presents a rural perspective on the MA program and discusses health equity in the MA program, expanding access to care, and value-based contracting. Includes data on the proportion of MA plans offering supplemental benefits in noncore, micropolitan, and metropolitan counties in 2020.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Medicare Beneficiary Access to Prescription Drugs in Rural Areas
Policy brief identifying the types of pharmacies used by Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas with limited or no access to pharmacies, using data from July 2016 to December 2017. Features statistics on county and beneficiary characteristics and claim event counts, with breakdowns by county pharmacy cohort.
Author(s): Onyinye Oyeka, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Policy brief identifying the types of pharmacies used by Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas with limited or no access to pharmacies, using data from July 2016 to December 2017. Features statistics on county and beneficiary characteristics and claim event counts, with breakdowns by county pharmacy cohort.
Author(s): Onyinye Oyeka, Fred Ullrich, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model Evaluation: Report 1
Presents findings from the 2020-2021 pre-implementation period of the Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model, which aims to improve health outcomes for Medicaid-enrolled children with complex physical and behavioral health needs. Provides an overview of the InCK Model and profiles each InCK award recipient's model, community context, planned approach, and progress with implementing the model. Identifies models serving rural areas and service gaps in these areas.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Presents findings from the 2020-2021 pre-implementation period of the Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model, which aims to improve health outcomes for Medicaid-enrolled children with complex physical and behavioral health needs. Provides an overview of the InCK Model and profiles each InCK award recipient's model, community context, planned approach, and progress with implementing the model. Identifies models serving rural areas and service gaps in these areas.
Additional links: Findings at a Glance
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organizations: Abt Associates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the ESRD PPS Update for CY 2023
Comments on a June 28, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Includes comments addressing the low-volume payment adjustment (LVPA) and the rural adjustment.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comments on a June 28, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Includes comments addressing the low-volume payment adjustment (LVPA) and the rural adjustment.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Assessing the Characteristics of New York State Dentists Serving Medicaid Beneficiaries
Results of a study exploring the demographic, educational, and practice characteristics of dentists in New York, to understand which factors are associated with dentists' participation and their level of participation in the Medicaid program. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural or urban location.
Author(s): Shen Wang, Robert Martiniano, Kristen Stiegler
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
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Results of a study exploring the demographic, educational, and practice characteristics of dentists in New York, to understand which factors are associated with dentists' participation and their level of participation in the Medicaid program. Features statistics with breakdowns by rural or urban location.
Author(s): Shen Wang, Robert Martiniano, Kristen Stiegler
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Workforce Studies
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MedPAC Comment on CMS's Proposed Rule on the Home Health Prospective Payment System for CY 2023
Comments on a June 23, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for home health agencies. Includes comments regarding the collection of data on the use of telecommunications technology under the Medicare home health benefit and quality measure stratification as a tool to address healthcare disparities and advance health equity.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Comments on a June 23, 2022, Federal Register proposed rule related to Medicare payment policies for home health agencies. Includes comments regarding the collection of data on the use of telecommunications technology under the Medicare home health benefit and quality measure stratification as a tool to address healthcare disparities and advance health equity.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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