Inequitable Access: Medicare+Choice Program Fails to Serve Rural America
Describes the impact that the Medicare+ Choice plans have had in rural areas and discusses payment policy implications.
Author(s): Timothy McBride, Keith Mueller
Citation: RUPRI Rural Policy Brief, 7(2)
Date: 02/2002
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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MedPAC Report to the Congress: Medicare in Rural America, 2001
Overview of Medicare and rural healthcare. Covers rural access to care, quality of care, and Medicare payments. Also examines rural beneficiaries' access to Medicare+Choice health plans.
Date: 06/2001
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission
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Can Payment Policies Attract M+C Plans to Rural Areas?
Identifies factors that discourage insurance plans from offering Medicare managed care plans in nonmetropolitan counties. Provides data on nonmetro Medicare+Choice plan availability for 1997-2000. Discusses impact of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA), the Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999 (BBRA), and the Medicare, Medicaid, & SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA) on Medicare managed care enrollment.
Author(s): Timothy McBride, Joan Penrod, Keith Mueller, Courtney Andrews, Micah Hughes
Citation: RUPRI Rural Policy Brief, 6(8)
Date: 05/2001
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Update on Medicare+Choice: Rural Medicare Beneficiaries Enrolled in Medicare+Choice Plans through October 2000
Describes enrollment in Medicare+Choice in rural counties through October 2000.
Author(s): Timothy McBride, Courtney Andrews, Keith Mueller
Citation: RUPRI Rural Policy Brief, 6(7)
Date: 03/2001
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Rural Implications of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000: Concerns, Legislation, and Next Steps
Overview of the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA) as it impacted rural health. Identifies impacts related to Medicare payments to specific types of facilities and for specific services. Also lists BIPA-mandated studies and demonstrations.
Date: 01/2001
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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PPS Inpatient Payment and the Area Wage Index
Discusses how Medicare inpatient rates were calculated as of 2001, the role of the wage index, and issues surrounding the wage index and reimbursement to rural hospitals by Medicare under the Prospective Payment System (PPS).
Author(s): Kathleen Dalton, Rebecca T. Slifkin
Date: 01/2001
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Key Rural Issues for Medicare Reform, 2001
Brief overview of rural issues related to Medicare reform. Discusses the need for rural representation and adequate payments to ensure healthcare access.
Date: 2001
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Rural Hospital Wages and the Area Wage Index: 1990-1997
Examines whether incremental changes to the hospital wage index from 1990-1997 made it more equitable across regions and how these changes impacted rural hospitals.
Additional links: Findings Brief, January 2001
Author(s): Kathleen Dalton, Rebecca Slifkin, Hilda Howard
Date: 11/2000
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Calculating and Using the Area Wage Index of the Medicare Inpatient Hospital Prospective Payment System
Explains how the area wage index (AWI) was developed to adjust Medicare payments to hospitals based on average hospital wages in an area. Identifies the major unresolved issues related to its calculation and use in the year 2000.
Author(s): Anthony Wellever
Citation: RUPRI Rural Policy Brief, 5(5)
Date: 06/2000
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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A Report on Enrollment: Rural Medicare Beneficiaries in Medicare+Choice Plans
Reports on changes in Medicare+Choice enrollment from December 1996 to October 1999. Also identifies Medicare+Choice plans added in 1998-1999.
Author(s): Brandi Shay, Timothy McBride, Keith Mueller
Citation: RUPRI Rural Policy Brief, 5(1)
Date: 03/2000
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
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