Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare
The Growing Impact of Medicare Advantage on Rural Hospitals Across America
Examines the impact of Medicare Advantage (MA) on rural hospitals. Discusses payment and reimbursement, healthcare access, hospital finance and patient data, hospital case examples, and more.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Examines the impact of Medicare Advantage (MA) on rural hospitals. Discusses payment and reimbursement, healthcare access, hospital finance and patient data, hospital case examples, and more.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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Key Facts About Hospitals
Presents information and data on hospitals and hospital spending. Covers national hospital spending, the hospital industry, use of hospital care, out-of-pocket spending and medical debt, hospital finances, and more. Includes a section on rural hospitals, which describes the prevalence of rural hospitals, rural hospital characteristics, discharges by payer, profit margins, and openings and closings of rural hospitals.
Author(s): Zachary Levinson, Scott Hulver, Jamie Godwin, Tricia Neuman
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Presents information and data on hospitals and hospital spending. Covers national hospital spending, the hospital industry, use of hospital care, out-of-pocket spending and medical debt, hospital finances, and more. Includes a section on rural hospitals, which describes the prevalence of rural hospitals, rural hospital characteristics, discharges by payer, profit margins, and openings and closings of rural hospitals.
Author(s): Zachary Levinson, Scott Hulver, Jamie Godwin, Tricia Neuman
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Medicare Advantage Penetration and the Financial Distress of Rural Hospitals
Examines county-level Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration rates and the financial impact on rural hospitals. Utilizes 2014-2020 American Hospital Association data to analyze Medicare and non-Medicare inpatient days paid by the plans, with data breakdowns according to patient demographics, rural versus urban location, timing of inpatient stay, and more.
Author(s): Guido Cataife, Siying Liu
Citation: Health Economics Review, 15, 9
Date: 02/2025
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Examines county-level Medicare Advantage (MA) penetration rates and the financial impact on rural hospitals. Utilizes 2014-2020 American Hospital Association data to analyze Medicare and non-Medicare inpatient days paid by the plans, with data breakdowns according to patient demographics, rural versus urban location, timing of inpatient stay, and more.
Author(s): Guido Cataife, Siying Liu
Citation: Health Economics Review, 15, 9
Date: 02/2025
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Chartis Center for Rural Health Research & Resources for the 2025 National Rural Health Association's Rural Health Policy Institute Conference
Offers research and analysis of the stability of the rural healthcare safety net. Includes Instability Continues to Threaten Rural Health Safety Net: Reduced Reimbursements, Dwindling Access to Care, and Deteriorating Population Health Status, and presentation slides on this report from the 2025 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute. Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies on rural hospitals.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Offers research and analysis of the stability of the rural healthcare safety net. Includes Instability Continues to Threaten Rural Health Safety Net: Reduced Reimbursements, Dwindling Access to Care, and Deteriorating Population Health Status, and presentation slides on this report from the 2025 National Rural Health Association Policy Institute. Provides links to national and state data tables showing the financial impact of federal policies on rural hospitals.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Instability Continues to Threaten Rural Health Safety Net: Reduced Reimbursements, Dwindling Access to Care and Deteriorating Population Health Status
Examines factors contributing to the instability of the rural healthcare safety net, including policy-related reimbursement cuts and changes to payer mixes. Presents data on rural hospitals that have stopped offering obstetrics and chemotherapy services. Explores aspects of rural population health and social drivers of health as they relate to rural healthcare delivery challenges.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Examines factors contributing to the instability of the rural healthcare safety net, including policy-related reimbursement cuts and changes to payer mixes. Presents data on rural hospitals that have stopped offering obstetrics and chemotherapy services. Explores aspects of rural population health and social drivers of health as they relate to rural healthcare delivery challenges.
Date: 02/2025
Sponsoring organization: Chartis Center for Rural Health
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Opioid Use Among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
Examines trends in prescription opioid use among Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas, utilizing 2010-2017 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) data. Provides data on receipt of opioid prescriptions among community-dwelling and facility-dwelling beneficiaries, associations between prescribing and chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs), and prescriptions exceeding CDC guidelines. Includes rural-urban comparisons.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Karen Pearson, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Examines trends in prescription opioid use among Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas, utilizing 2010-2017 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) data. Provides data on receipt of opioid prescriptions among community-dwelling and facility-dwelling beneficiaries, associations between prescribing and chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs), and prescriptions exceeding CDC guidelines. Includes rural-urban comparisons.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Heidi O'Connor, Karen Pearson, et al.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Health Panel Comment Letter – Contract Year 2026 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program
Offers comments in response to a December 10, 2024, proposed rule regarding policy and technical changes to the Medicare Advantage program for contract year 2026. Discusses transparency and access to pharmacy services and prescription drugs, network adequacy, notice to providers, and more.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Offers comments in response to a December 10, 2024, proposed rule regarding policy and technical changes to the Medicare Advantage program for contract year 2026. Discusses transparency and access to pharmacy services and prescription drugs, network adequacy, notice to providers, and more.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Medicare Advantage Demographics Report, 2022
Summarizes demographics data on Medicare Advantage enrollment in 2022. Compares rural/urban residence of Medicare Advantage, Original Medicare, and dually eligible enrollees in Appendix B.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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Summarizes demographics data on Medicare Advantage enrollment in 2022. Compares rural/urban residence of Medicare Advantage, Original Medicare, and dually eligible enrollees in Appendix B.
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: AHIP
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January 2025 MedPAC Meeting Transcript
Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) January 2025 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, skilled nursing facility services, home health agency services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, outpatient dialysis services, and hospice services. Discusses status reports on Medicare Part D, ambulatory surgical centers, and the Medicare Advantage program, as well as policy options for modifying the cost-sharing liability for beneficiaries who receive care at Critical Access Hospitals. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Reducing Beneficiary Cost-sharing for Outpatient Services at Critical Access Hospitals
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Transcript from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's (MedPAC) January 2025 meeting. Covers payment adequacy and updates for physician and other health professional services, hospital inpatient and outpatient services, skilled nursing facility services, home health agency services, inpatient rehabilitation facility services, outpatient dialysis services, and hospice services. Discusses status reports on Medicare Part D, ambulatory surgical centers, and the Medicare Advantage program, as well as policy options for modifying the cost-sharing liability for beneficiaries who receive care at Critical Access Hospitals. Includes rural references and considerations throughout.
Additional links: Reducing Beneficiary Cost-sharing for Outpatient Services at Critical Access Hospitals
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Examining Differences in Rural and Urban Medicare FFS Beneficiaries' Emergency Department Use Before and During COVID-19
Results of a study describing changes from 2018-2022 in emergency department use among rural and urban Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) beneficiaries. Features statistics including patient demographics, primary diagnoses, and admission sources, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Alana Knudson, Craig D. Holden, Marilyn Klug, Tricia Stauffer, Shena Popat
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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Results of a study describing changes from 2018-2022 in emergency department use among rural and urban Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) beneficiaries. Features statistics including patient demographics, primary diagnoses, and admission sources, with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Author(s): Alana Knudson, Craig D. Holden, Marilyn Klug, Tricia Stauffer, Shena Popat
Date: 01/2025
Sponsoring organization: ETSU/NORC Rural Health Research Center
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