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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Uninsured and underinsured

The Market Mechanism and Health Insurance in Rural Places: Lessons Learned from an Economics and Policy Perspective
Examines rural health insurance market challenges and related policy considerations. Outlines historical and economic reasons for rural "market failures," such as low population density and economies of scale. Reviews the success of previous policy interventions targeting rural health insurance markets and offers recommendations for future action.
Author(s): Abigail R. Barker, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller, Kelsey A. Huntzberry
Date: 02/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
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Creating a Blueprint for Our Future: Louisiana State Health Assessment and Improvement Plan, March 2016-March 2020
Offers an overview of the health of the Louisiana population and identifies goals for improvement at both the state and regional levels. Discusses rural-specific considerations throughout. Includes maps indicating rural areas and Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Date: 12/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Louisiana Department of Health
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Uninsured Rates in Urban and Rural America
Highlights a collection of interactive graphics providing data on uninsured rates for people under age 65 in completely rural counties, counties that are mostly rural, and counties that are mostly urban. Includes state and county-level data.
Date: 11/2018
Type: Website
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Affordable Care Act & Medicaid Reform in Wisconsin: Enrollment and Coverage Trends, Plans and Premiums Chartpack
Provides an overview of the impact of federal healthcare and Medicaid reform for Wisconsin residents. Discusses trends for health insurance coverage and Medicaid, and describes health insurance plans and premiums. Covers data on health insurance plan selection in 2018 by rural and non-rural.
Date: 11/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
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Promising Practice: Arizona Center for Rural Health SHAREs Health Insurance Information, Gets People Enrolled
Details Project SHARE (Students Helping Arizona Register Everyone), run by the Arizona Center for Rural Health (AzCRH), which trains college students to help people in their communities to understand and enroll in a health insurance plan.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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Access in Brief: Rural and Urban Health Care
Compares healthcare access and use of services for children and adults with Medicaid to those with private insurance or no insurance for both rural and urban areas and for adults with disabilities. Includes access data by age group, income, and race/ethnicity and utilization data for office and emergency room visits. Addresses access to prescription drugs and eyeglasses as well as barriers to healthcare access.
Date: 10/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Uninsurance and Medicaid/CHIP Participation among Children and Parents: Variation in 2016 and Recent Trends
Examines insurance coverage for children and parents following state Medicaid expansions, with a focus on Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) participation. Includes metropolitan/nonmetropolitan comparisons. Discusses potential future policy impacts and the need for outreach and enrollment programs.
Author(s): Jennifer Haley, Genevieve M Kenney, Robin Wang, et al.
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Health Insurance Coverage in Small Towns and Rural America: The Role of Medicaid Expansion
Analyzes health insurance coverage for low-income, rural adults in 46 states. Includes an examination of American Community Survey data to determine uninsured rates by age for 2008-2009 and 2015-2016. Covers effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in small towns and rural areas, including Medicaid expansion. Provides county-level data, information on health insurance coverage for children, and maps in the additional links.
Additional links: Full Report, Interactive Map: The Percent of Adults in Small Towns and Rural Areas Covered by Medicaid, 2015/16, Interactive Map: The Percent of Children in Small Towns and Rural Areas Covered by Medicaid, 2015/16, Press Release, Update: State Data on Health Coverage in Small Towns and Rural Areas, 2015/16
Author(s): Jack Hoadley, Joan Alker, Mark Holmes
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, North Carolina Rural Health Research Program
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Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2017
Provides statistics on health insurance coverage in 2017 and also focuses on changes between 2016 and 2017. Tables 5 and A-4 list statistics for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Based on data from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement and the American Community Survey.
Additional links: Visualizations
Author(s): Edward R. Berchick, Emily Hood, Jessica C. Barnett
Date: 09/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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Health Equity Challenges in Rural America
Discusses multiple factors contributing to health inequities in rural communities including poorer healthcare access, lack of health insurance, hospital closures, workforce shortages, limited availability of services, and longer distances to specialized healthcare. Offers recommendations for rural community leaders and policy makers to improve economic and socioeconomic conditions, including rural health infrastructure investment.
Author(s): Erika Ziller, Andrew Coburn
Citation: Human Rights Magazine, 43(3)
Date: 08/2018
Type: Document
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