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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Child Care Challenges for Medicaid Work Requirements
Examines the impact of Medicaid work requirements on low-income parents related to finding and affording child care. Discusses challenges related to accessing child care and afterschool programs in rural areas.
Author(s): Gina Adams, Eva H. Allen, Anuj Gangopadhyaya, Genevieve M. Kenney
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Subcommittee on Health Hearing: MISSION Critical: Care in the Community Update
Presents a U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Health hearing on the MISSION Act community care program. Focuses specifically on the program's coverage and consistency of care for veterans.
Additional links: Witness Statements
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Health
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Work Requirements in Kentucky Medicaid: A Policy in Limbo
Highlights a study on the effects of Kentucky's proposed work requirement policy for Medicaid. Examines the awareness of the policy among the public and its effect on employment and healthcare coverage. Details participants' age, marital status, and whether they live in a rural or urban area.
Author(s): Joy Madubuonwu, Lucy Chen, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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DAMA Subcommittee Oversight Hearing: Update on VA Contracted Exams, Quality Review Process, and Service to Rural Veterans
Provides a recording and related documents from a House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs hearing examining rural access to timely Contracted Compensation and Pension (C&P) Exams, which are used to determine eligibility for VA benefits.
Additional links: Witness Testimony
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organizations: House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
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Oversight Hearing on "GAO Report on Tribal Access to Spectrum: Promoting Communications Services in Indian Country"
Presents the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs oversight hearing on the need for accelerating deployment of high-speed cable internet to improve tribal access to broadband services specifically licensed spectrum. Features testimony from representatives from Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Gila River Telecommunications, Inc. Chairperson Belinda Nelson, and Chief Technology Director for Santa Fe Indian School Kimball Sekaquaptewa.
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
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ACA and Medicaid Expansion Associated with Increased Insurance Coverage for Rural Americans with Disabilities
Fact sheet exploring ways in which Affordable Care Act (ACA) policy changes and Medicaid expansion affected people with disabilities, especially those in rural areas. Features statistics including changes in insurance coverage for urban and rural people with and without disabilities from 2006-2017, and differences in coverage in Medicaid expansion or non-expansion states, with breakdowns by urban or rural locations.
Author(s): Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: University of Montana: Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities
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How Will Medicaid Work Requirements Affect Hospitals' Finances?
Examines the potential financial impact of approved or pending Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration waivers that include work requirements on hospitals in 18 states. Includes a section on the potential impact on rural hospitals' operating margins. Updates a March 2019 report of the same title covering 13 states.
Author(s): Randy Haught, Allen Dobson, Joan DaVanzo
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
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Provider Shortages and Limited Availability of Behavioral Health Services in New Mexico's Medicaid Managed Care
Examines the supply and distribution of behavioral health providers and prescribers across New Mexico, with a focus on services available to Medicaid managed care enrollees. Includes data for rural and frontier counties. Discusses rural broadband connectivity challenges that impact the use of telehealth to address access. Offers policy recommendations. Findings are likely to be relevant to behavioral healthcare access in other states' rural and frontier counties.
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Office of Inspector General (HHS)
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Promoting Health Coverage of American Indian and Alaska Native Children
Provides an overview of the health disparities American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children face. Reports on healthcare coverage trends for AI/AN children from 2008 to 2015, with information on 3 public sources of coverage: the Indian Health Service (IHS), Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Includes recommendations to improve coverage for AI/AN children.
Author(s): Lauren Roygardner, Andy Schneider, Doug Steiger
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute
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State Strategies to Address Opioid Use Disorder Among Pregnant and Postpartum Women and Infants Prenatally Exposed to Substances, Including Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Identifies state strategies to improve outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder and infants prenatally exposed to substances, including opioids. Discusses strategies focused on access to and coordination of quality services, including approaches such as telemedicine that are useful in rural areas. Also discusses strategies related to provider awareness and training and other topics.
Author(s): Charlan D. Kroelinger, Marion E. Rice, Shanna Cox, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 68(36), 777-783
Date: 09/2019
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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