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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Uninsured and underinsured

Barriers to Rural Health Care From the Provider Perspective
Results of a study using data from interviews with 20 healthcare providers in rural areas of western Pennsylvania. Explores barriers to care, including cost and insurance, geographic dispersion, and provider shortage and burnout. Offers strategies for improvement, including use of telehealth, mobile clinics, and increased use of advanced practice providers.
Author(s): Avinash Maganty, Mary E. Byrnes, Megan Hamm, et al.
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23(2), 7769
Date: 05/2023
Type: Document
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Disparities in Health and Health Care: 5 Key Questions and Answers
Defines health and healthcare disparities and discusses the social and economic inequities that drive them. Provides details on the current status of health disparities in the U.S. including rural, the importance of addressing them, and what the federal government is doing to alleviate health disparities. Identifies related issues to be addressed in the future.
Author(s): Nambi Ndugga, Samantha Artiga
Date: 04/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Rural Working-Age Adults Report More Cost Barriers to Health Care
Policy brief examining rural-urban differences in affordability of care and cost-saving strategies among adults ages 18-64. Features demographics and statistics on prescription drug cost-saving measures and difficulty affording medical care in the past year, with breakdowns by rural and urban location.
Author(s): Erika C. Ziller, Carly Milkowski, Amanda Burgess
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Rural Population Health in the United States: A Chartbook
Presents rural population health data by Census region and state, with some data by sex, race, and ethnicity. Includes U.S. maps showing county-level data as well as a variety of charts, including rural-urban disparity charts, state summary charts, and more. Topics addressed include access to care, health outcomes and risks, mortality, social determinants of health, and socioeconomic data.
Author(s): Randy Randolph, Sharita Thomas, Mark Holmes, et al.
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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The State of Health in Tennessee: 2023 Annual Report to the 113th Tennessee General Assembly
Provides a comprehensive overview of health in Tennessee, including health outcomes of individuals and information on the health of the state's healthcare system. Includes statistics on rural hospitals that have closed in recent years, and those at risk of closure as of 2022. Features county-level maps showing Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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How Does Cost Affect Access to Healthcare?
Explores trends in how costs affect access to healthcare using data from the 2021 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Covers the percentage of adults who delayed or went without care due to cost. Presents data by income level, health status, race and ethnicity, insurance status, and urban/rural residence. Also discusses insulin users who rationed insulin due to costs and the impact of medical debt on accessing care.
Author(s): Shameek Rakshit, Matthew McGough, Krutika Amin, Cynthia Cox
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: KFF, Peterson Center on Healthcare
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Engaging Rural Communities to Incorporate Social Determinants in Developing Strategies to Improve Access to Health Care in the Missouri Bootheel Counties
Presents a study on how social determinants of health affect healthcare access in several rural counties in Missouri. Discusses the perceived barriers to care in the rural "Bootheel" counties, such as economic issues, lack of health insurance coverage, and lack of coordinated care, among others.
Author(s): Ashish Shrestha, Katherine Stamatakis, Janice Ballard
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23, 7678
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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New Hampshire Annual Report on the Health Status of Rural Residents and Health Workforce Data Collection: Calendar Year 2022
Includes aggregate data and information on current and projected New Hampshire primary workforce needs and the participation rate on surveys completed by clinicians for the Health Professions Data Center. Features a state map showing rural and nonrural New Hampshire regional public health networks, and statistics on demographics, barriers to care, substance use and mental health, maternal health, preventive care, and health outcomes for cancer diagnosis. Includes license renewal data for various providers types, and physician assistant workforce data including percentage in rural regions.
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: New Hampshire Public Health Association, New Hampshire Rural Health & Primary Care
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Access and Coverage for Mental Health Care: Findings from the 2022 KFF Women's Health Survey
Presents data from the national 2022 KFF Women's Health Survey of 5,145 women and 1,225 men ages 18-64 where respondents were asked about their experiences in obtaining mental health services, including the use of telehealth, over the past two years. Data is focused on the mental health service needs of women by age, race/ethnicity, income, insurance, and on rural and urban telehealth usage.
Author(s): Karen Diep, Brittni Frederiksen, Michelle Long, Usha Ranji, Alina Salganicoff
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Community Sociodemographics and Rural Hospital Survival
Explores differences in specific community-level sociodemographic factors associated with the survival or closure of rural hospitals at risk of financial distress between 2010 and 2019. Examines the relationship between the risk of hospital closure and median family income, unemployment rate, uninsured rate, education, race, and more.
Author(s): Claudia A. Rhoades, Brian E. Whitacre, Alison F. Davis
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 2022
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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