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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Policy

Association of State Medicaid Expansion With Rate of Uninsured Hospitalizations for Major Cardiovascular Events, 2009-2014
Results of a study to investigate whether rates of uninsured hospitalizations for cardiovascular events and in-hospital mortality varied by Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion at the state level. Features statistics including demographics with breakdowns by rural or urban/suburban location.
Author(s): Ehimare Akhabue, Lindsay R. Pool, Clyde W. Yancy, Philip Greenland, Donald Lloyd-Jones
Citation: JAMA Network Open 1(4)
Date: 08/2018
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Medicare Fee-for-Service: Information on the First Year of Nationwide Reduced Payment Rates for Durable Medical Equipment
Examines the effects of reduced payment rates for certain durable medical equipment (DME) in non-bid areas. Reports on changes in the number of suppliers, utilization of rate-adjusted items, and beneficiaries' access to rate-adjusted items. Includes information on changes in rural and non-rural non-bid areas.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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USDA Road Trip Through Rural America: Q&A with Anne Hazlett
An interview with USDA Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett. Hazlett discusses the role USDA programs play in addressing rural health-related concerns such as broadband access and shares what she has learned from a series of rural roundtables focused on opioid misuse.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Medicaid Income Eligibility Transitions Among Rural Adults
Research and policy brief examining the extent to which incomes of rural and urban residents shifted above or below the Medicaid expansion eligibility threshold during 2010. Features statistics with breakdowns by expansion and non-expansion states, rural or urban location, and starting income as a percent of federal poverty level.
Author(s): Erika Ziller, Deborah Thayer, Jennifer D. Lenardson
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Hospitals and Medicaid Payment Policy
Describes how rural hospitals serve Medicaid beneficiaries and the process through which Medicaid programs pay rural hospitals. Features statistics from 2015 with breakdowns by urban hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and other rural hospitals.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Emerging Strategies to Ensure Access to Health Care Services: Rural Hospital-Health Clinic Integration
Provides an overview of the benefits of sharing resources between rural hospitals and clinics, including Federally Qualified Health Centers. Offers suggestions for federal policy solutions and actions for hospital and health system to deploy.
Date: 08/2018
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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2018 Rural Hospital and Clinic Financial Summit Report: Key Financial Success Indicators and Strategies
Identifies the indicators of financial success for hospitals and clinics, provides strategies to transition into value-based payment models, and includes success stories from Summit participants and resources necessary for hospitals and clinics. Includes a table showing Critical Access Hospital financial indicators medians for 2016.
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
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2020 Census: Actions Needed to Address Challenges to Enumerating Hard-to-Count Groups
Examines the U.S. Census Bureau's plans for the 2020 Census to improve the count of hard-to-count groups, which includes people living in rural or geographically isolated areas, racial and ethnic minorities, people with mental and/or physical disabilities, and other groups. Discusses factors that make it challenging to count certain people, including difficulties related to locating, contacting, persuading, and interviewing.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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The Intersection of Hepatitis, HIV, and the Opioid Crisis: The Need for a Comprehensive Response
Brief discusses the infectious diseases co-occurring with the opioid crisis and the need for comprehensive treatment. Details the relationship between opioid use disorder and HIV and hepatitis infection. Looks at barriers to care and presents suggestions to overcome them, such as increasing access to healthcare for low-income populations, among others.
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organization: National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors
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Insuring Rural America: Health Insurance Challenges and Opportunities
Details a study focusing on the challenges of designing an insurance market that works in rural America. Looks at the needs of rural people and current health insurance policy.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Charlie Alfero, Andrew F. Coburn, et al.
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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