Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Medicare

Rural Enrollment in Medicare Advantage Continues to Grow Rapidly in 2008, Led by Private Fee-for-Service Plans
Provides findings about enrollment in the Medicare Advantage program in rural areas and across the U.S. by state.
Author(s): Yolonda Y. Campbell, Timothy D. McBride, Keith Mueller
Date: 08/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA)
Provides the full text of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), which extended various Medicare provisions that were set to expire and focused heavily on improving or maintaining access to care in rural areas.
Date: 07/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Congress
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CMS and State Efforts to Interact with the Indian Health Service and Indian Tribes
Discusses the interactions between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) to provide support to IHS-funded facilities and tribes in their access to Medicare and Medicaid and to address broader policy concerns.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 07/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Reforming the Delivery System
Describes a direction for Medicare payment and delivery system reform, makes recommendations to promote primary care, and examines hospital–physician collaborative relationships. Includes rural/urban data related to skilled nursing facilities and hospice.
Date: 06/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Critical Access Hospitals' Experiences with Medicare Advantage Plans
Examines findings from a survey of 60 Critical Access Hospital (CAH) administrators about their experiences with Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Discussion topics include CAH interactions and MA, reimbursement terms, financial performance, revenue, and relationship with beneficiaries.
Author(s): Michael Meit, Keith Mueller
Date: 03/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, 2008
Annual review of Medicare payment policies, with recommendations to Congress. Discussions of rural aspects of Medicare payment policies are included throughout the report.
Date: 03/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Review of the Relationship between Medicare Part D Payments to Local, Community Pharmacies and the Pharmacies' Drug Acquisition Costs
Analyzes the relationship between Medicare Part D payments, excluding dispensing fees, to local, community pharmacies and the pharmacies' drug acquisition costs. Estimate Part D dispensing fees and compares them with Medicaid dispensing fees. Includes some data specific to rural pharmacies.
Date: 01/2008
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Medicare Program: Changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, Ambulatory Surgical Center System, Graduate Medical Education and Critical Access Hospital; Interim and Final Rule with Comment Period
Addresses changes to the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and CY 2008 Payment Rates, the Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System and CY 2008 Payment Rates, the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and FY 2008 Payment Rates. Describes changes relating to the necessary provider designations of Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) and to the conditions of participation requirements. Also addresses changes to graduate medical education (GME) payments made to teaching hospitals that have Medicare affiliation agreements for certain emergency situations.
Citation: Federal Register, 72(227), 66579-67226
Date: 11/2007
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
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Medicare Advantage Plans in Rural America
Identifies key policy issues and questions concerning the impact of Medicare Advantage (MA) in rural areas.
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, et al.
Date: 10/2007
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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Update on Rural Enrollment in Medicare Advantage: Growth Continues
Provides findings about rural enrollment in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program and other pre-paid plans, with state and national data. Updates early findings from analysis of the Medicare+Choice/MA program presented in previous RUPRI Center policy briefs.
Author(s): Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller
Date: 10/2007
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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