Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy
MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System, June 2021
Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Chapter 5 presents an interim report on Medicare beneficiaries' access to care in rural areas. Also includes chapters on Medicare Advantage benchmark policy, alternative payment models, private equity and Medicare, the skilled nursing facility value-based purchasing program, indirect medical education payments, Medicare coverage of vaccines, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, clinical laboratory fee schedule payment rates, and the relationship between clinician services and other Medicare services.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Evaluates Medicare payment issues and offers recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Chapter 5 presents an interim report on Medicare beneficiaries' access to care in rural areas. Also includes chapters on Medicare Advantage benchmark policy, alternative payment models, private equity and Medicare, the skilled nursing facility value-based purchasing program, indirect medical education payments, Medicare coverage of vaccines, separately payable drugs in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system, clinical laboratory fee schedule payment rates, and the relationship between clinician services and other Medicare services.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP, June 2021
Semi-annual report to Congress from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC). Discusses high-cost specialty drugs in the Medicaid program, access to mental health services for those enrolled in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), integration of physical and behavioral health care through electronic health records (EHRs), Medicaid's non-emergency transportation (NEMT) benefit, and state strategies for integrating care for people who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Semi-annual report to Congress from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC). Discusses high-cost specialty drugs in the Medicaid program, access to mental health services for those enrolled in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), integration of physical and behavioral health care through electronic health records (EHRs), Medicaid's non-emergency transportation (NEMT) benefit, and state strategies for integrating care for people who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Includes rural references throughout.
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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National Health Service Corps: Program Directs Funding to Areas with Greatest Provider Shortages
Provides an overview of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) programs. Examines data for fiscal year 2020 on the number of NHSC providers and where they served, the number and characteristics of applicants that did not receive funding, the number of NHSC sites with vacancies, and information about the effectiveness of NHSC programs at alleviating provider shortages.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) programs. Examines data for fiscal year 2020 on the number of NHSC providers and where they served, the number and characteristics of applicants that did not receive funding, the number of NHSC sites with vacancies, and information about the effectiveness of NHSC programs at alleviating provider shortages.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Overview of the Universal Service Fund and Selected Federal Broadband Programs
Provides an overview of federal programs supporting broadband deployment. Highlights programs established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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Provides an overview of federal programs supporting broadband deployment. Highlights programs established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: 06/2021
Sponsoring organization: Congressional Research Service
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VA Community Care: Understanding Veterans' Access, Utilization, and Satisfaction
Supplemental journal features a wide variety articles pertaining to veterans' access to care, utilization, and the VA's Community Care Network (CCN). Discusses the CCN's relationship with the MISSION Act, telehealth, and challenges facing rural veterans, among other issues.
Citation: Medical Care, 59, (6, Suppl 3)
Date: 06/2021
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Supplemental journal features a wide variety articles pertaining to veterans' access to care, utilization, and the VA's Community Care Network (CCN). Discusses the CCN's relationship with the MISSION Act, telehealth, and challenges facing rural veterans, among other issues.
Citation: Medical Care, 59, (6, Suppl 3)
Date: 06/2021
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Essentially Unprotected: A Focus on Farmworker Health Laws and Policies Addressing Pesticide Exposure and Heat-Related Illness
Report highlights laws and policies that protect farmworkers from heat- and pesticide-related illnesses. Breaks down both federal and state laws in place to protect farmworkers and makes recommendations.
Author(s): Laurie J. Beyranevand, Lihlani Skipper Nelson, Sarah Goldman, et al.
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Center for a Livable Future, Vermont Law School's Center for Agriculture and Food Systems
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Report highlights laws and policies that protect farmworkers from heat- and pesticide-related illnesses. Breaks down both federal and state laws in place to protect farmworkers and makes recommendations.
Author(s): Laurie J. Beyranevand, Lihlani Skipper Nelson, Sarah Goldman, et al.
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organizations: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Center for a Livable Future, Vermont Law School's Center for Agriculture and Food Systems
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Rural-Urban Differences in Changes and Effects of Tobacco 21 in Youth E-cigarette Use
Highlights a study on youth e-cigarette use across rural and urban communities in light of the increase in Tobacco 21 (T21) policies. Compares under 21 e-cigarette use in rural and urban areas and in T21 and non-T21 areas. Breaks down data by year (2018-2019), sex, and grade in school, among other measures.
Author(s): Hongying Dai, Lisa Chaney, Edward Ellerbeck, et al.
Citation: Pediatrics, 147(5), e2020020651
Date: 05/2021
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Highlights a study on youth e-cigarette use across rural and urban communities in light of the increase in Tobacco 21 (T21) policies. Compares under 21 e-cigarette use in rural and urban areas and in T21 and non-T21 areas. Breaks down data by year (2018-2019), sex, and grade in school, among other measures.
Author(s): Hongying Dai, Lisa Chaney, Edward Ellerbeck, et al.
Citation: Pediatrics, 147(5), e2020020651
Date: 05/2021
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Building on the Evidence Base: Studies on the Effects of Medicaid Expansion, February 2020 to March 2021
Summarizes the results of a review of 200 studies published between February 2020 and March 2021 on the impact of state Medicaid expansions under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Highlights findings on mortality; cancer, chronic disease, and disabilities; sexual and reproductive health; behavioral health; economic impacts on states and providers, including rural providers; disparities; and social determinants of health. Builds on a literature review that examined studies published between January 2014 and January 2020.
Author(s): Madeline Guth, Meghana Ammula
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Summarizes the results of a review of 200 studies published between February 2020 and March 2021 on the impact of state Medicaid expansions under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Highlights findings on mortality; cancer, chronic disease, and disabilities; sexual and reproductive health; behavioral health; economic impacts on states and providers, including rural providers; disparities; and social determinants of health. Builds on a literature review that examined studies published between January 2014 and January 2020.
Author(s): Madeline Guth, Meghana Ammula
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Comments on Proposed Criteria for Defining Urban Areas
Comment letter responding to the U.S. Census Bureau on proposed changes to criteria used to define urban areas. Discusses how the proposed changes could impact the delivery of healthcare services in rural communities, including potential implications on the certification of Rural Health Clinics.
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Comment letter responding to the U.S. Census Bureau on proposed changes to criteria used to define urban areas. Discusses how the proposed changes could impact the delivery of healthcare services in rural communities, including potential implications on the certification of Rural Health Clinics.
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Physician Workforce: Caps on Medicare-funded Graduate Medical Education at Teaching Hospitals
Provides an overview of Medicare physician graduate medical education (GME) funding to teaching hospitals. Describes the extent to which hospitals were over or under their Medicare GME caps in 2018, including their urban or rural status. Summarizes stakeholder views on extending the time frame for hospitals with new GME programs to establish their caps.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Provides an overview of Medicare physician graduate medical education (GME) funding to teaching hospitals. Describes the extent to which hospitals were over or under their Medicare GME caps in 2018, including their urban or rural status. Summarizes stakeholder views on extending the time frame for hospitals with new GME programs to establish their caps.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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