Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicaid
2026 Annual Insurance Update: Health Insurance in Kansas
Reports on health insurance coverage across Kansas and nationwide, presenting 2009-2024 trends in coverage. Includes 2023 county-level data on uninsured rates by age group as well as Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment. Compares uninsurance rates across frontier, rural, densely-settled rural, semi-urban, and urban county location.
Author(s): Kaci Cink, Viktoria Sterkhova, Cynthia Snyder, Wen-Chieh Lin
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Reports on health insurance coverage across Kansas and nationwide, presenting 2009-2024 trends in coverage. Includes 2023 county-level data on uninsured rates by age group as well as Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment. Compares uninsurance rates across frontier, rural, densely-settled rural, semi-urban, and urban county location.
Author(s): Kaci Cink, Viktoria Sterkhova, Cynthia Snyder, Wen-Chieh Lin
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Kansas Health Institute
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Availability of Rural Hospitals Providing Inpatient Maternity Care in Medicaid
Examines the availability of hospitals offering inpatient maternity care in rural areas to Medicaid enrollees. Describes the median drive time between rural hospitals and the next closest in-state hospital that provides inpatient maternity care to Medicaid enrollees by state. Includes data on the number of urban and rural hospitals providing these services in each state in 2023.
Author(s): Rhiannon Euhus, Brittni Frederiksen, Alice Burns
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Examines the availability of hospitals offering inpatient maternity care in rural areas to Medicaid enrollees. Describes the median drive time between rural hospitals and the next closest in-state hospital that provides inpatient maternity care to Medicaid enrollees by state. Includes data on the number of urban and rural hospitals providing these services in each state in 2023.
Author(s): Rhiannon Euhus, Brittni Frederiksen, Alice Burns
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Measuring the Association of Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations on Total Cost of Care Across the Perinatal Period
Evaluates the impact of Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) on the cost of healthcare in prenatal, delivery, and postpartum periods. Compares 150,879 Medicaid-covered live deliveries in Massachusetts practices that both did and did not participate in an ACO implementation between January 2016 and March 2023. Includes the rural ZIP code residence percentage for deliveries included in the study.
Author(s): Kathleen Carey, Megan B. Cole
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(8)
Date: 08/2026
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Evaluates the impact of Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) on the cost of healthcare in prenatal, delivery, and postpartum periods. Compares 150,879 Medicaid-covered live deliveries in Massachusetts practices that both did and did not participate in an ACO implementation between January 2016 and March 2023. Includes the rural ZIP code residence percentage for deliveries included in the study.
Author(s): Kathleen Carey, Megan B. Cole
Citation: Health Affairs Scholar, 4(8)
Date: 08/2026
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Visualizing the Impact of OBBBA Provisions on State Medicaid Funds
Presents data on the projected impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21) on state Medicaid and Rural Health Transformation Program funds between 2025 and 2034.
Additional links: Blog Post
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Presents data on the projected impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Public Law 119-21) on state Medicaid and Rural Health Transformation Program funds between 2025 and 2034.
Additional links: Blog Post
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Milbank Memorial Fund
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Rural Hospitals in Pennsylvania in the Context of Healthcare Market Consolidations
Provides an assessment of rural hospitals in Pennsylvania, comparing them to urban hospitals. Examines factors potentially associated with mergers, acquisitions, and health system affiliations, based on interviews and virtual site visits with selected hospitals from 2016-2023. Includes county-level data on available services, utilization, number of beds and more.
Author(s): Yunfeng Shi, Amy Yeung, Tess Wilson, Lisa Davis
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Provides an assessment of rural hospitals in Pennsylvania, comparing them to urban hospitals. Examines factors potentially associated with mergers, acquisitions, and health system affiliations, based on interviews and virtual site visits with selected hospitals from 2016-2023. Includes county-level data on available services, utilization, number of beds and more.
Author(s): Yunfeng Shi, Amy Yeung, Tess Wilson, Lisa Davis
Date: 08/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
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Facilitation of Health Plan-Clinic Partnerships to Improve Colorectal Cancer Screening for Rural Medicaid Enrollees: A Qualitative Study
Examines efforts to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates, analyzing practice facilitation that supports mailed fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) and patient navigation. Utilizes qualitative data from the SMARTER CRC pragmatic trial that facilitates partnerships between Medicaid health plans and clinics in rural parts of Oregon.
Author(s): Erin S. Kenzie, Anders Herreid-O'Neill, Emily Myers, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70203
Date: 08/2026
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Examines efforts to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates, analyzing practice facilitation that supports mailed fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) and patient navigation. Utilizes qualitative data from the SMARTER CRC pragmatic trial that facilitates partnerships between Medicaid health plans and clinics in rural parts of Oregon.
Author(s): Erin S. Kenzie, Anders Herreid-O'Neill, Emily Myers, et al.
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 42(3), e70203
Date: 08/2026
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How Medicaid Directors Stay Connected to Members: Lessons from Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin
Examines how Medicaid leaders field feedback from their members and stay engaged with their communities. Includes information from a Medicaid director in Nevada who toured the state to learn about local perspectives of Medicaid providers and members living in rural and frontier areas. Wisconsin example shows how feedback was used to inform the state's Rural Health Transformation proposal, while Pennsylvania focused on providing better coordination of services to members.
Author(s): Disha Williams
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Examines how Medicaid leaders field feedback from their members and stay engaged with their communities. Includes information from a Medicaid director in Nevada who toured the state to learn about local perspectives of Medicaid providers and members living in rural and frontier areas. Wisconsin example shows how feedback was used to inform the state's Rural Health Transformation proposal, while Pennsylvania focused on providing better coordination of services to members.
Author(s): Disha Williams
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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State Innovations in Improving Access to Care for Adults with Complex Needs in Rural Communities
Discusses Medicaid policy and financing strategies that can help improve rural delivery systems and access to care for rural older adults, people with disabilities, and others with complex health and social needs. Describes effective approaches undertaken in California, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Virginia across three promising strategies. Identifies four factors critical to successful program design and implementation and key considerations for states.
Author(s): Molly Knowles, Nida Enehizena, Gretchen Bell, Ellen Breslin
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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Discusses Medicaid policy and financing strategies that can help improve rural delivery systems and access to care for rural older adults, people with disabilities, and others with complex health and social needs. Describes effective approaches undertaken in California, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Virginia across three promising strategies. Identifies four factors critical to successful program design and implementation and key considerations for states.
Author(s): Molly Knowles, Nida Enehizena, Gretchen Bell, Ellen Breslin
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Center for Health Care Strategies
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MACPAC Comment Letter on Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and Medicaid Fee-for-Service Targeted Medicaid Practitioner Payments
Comments on a May 22, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule regarding Medicaid managed care state directed payments (SDPs) and fee-for-service (FFS) targeted practitioner payments. Discusses state flexibility in payment policy, Medicare as a benchmark for Medicaid, monitoring and compliance, establishing appropriate SDP limits, and more.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Comments on a May 22, 2026, Federal Register proposed rule regarding Medicaid managed care state directed payments (SDPs) and fee-for-service (FFS) targeted practitioner payments. Discusses state flexibility in payment policy, Medicare as a benchmark for Medicaid, monitoring and compliance, establishing appropriate SDP limits, and more.
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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A Profile of Dual-Eligible Individuals
Presents data on the demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics of dual-eligible individuals in 2023. Compares dual-eligible individuals' characteristics with those of Medicare beneficiaries without Medicaid. Includes data on urban and rural residence.
Author(s): Abby Wolk, Nancy Ochieng, Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Alice Burns
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Presents data on the demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics of dual-eligible individuals in 2023. Compares dual-eligible individuals' characteristics with those of Medicare beneficiaries without Medicaid. Includes data on urban and rural residence.
Author(s): Abby Wolk, Nancy Ochieng, Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Alice Burns
Date: 07/2026
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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