Healthcare Access in Rural Communities – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Healthcare Access in Rural Communities.
Access to Care among Medicare Beneficiaries Aged 65 and Over Living with High-Impact Chronic Pain
Examines access to care and its association with high-impact chronic pain among Medicare recipients over 65 and not living in a long-term care facility between 2018 and 2020. Includes data breakdown between metro area and nonmetro area residents. Discusses delay in seeking medical care due to cost and general access to care.
Author(s): Jared Sawyer, Laura Stoff, Carrie Goetsch, et al.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Examines access to care and its association with high-impact chronic pain among Medicare recipients over 65 and not living in a long-term care facility between 2018 and 2020. Includes data breakdown between metro area and nonmetro area residents. Discusses delay in seeking medical care due to cost and general access to care.
Author(s): Jared Sawyer, Laura Stoff, Carrie Goetsch, et al.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Improving Financial Access to Maternal and Infant Care in Rural Areas
A brief that discusses ways to improve maternal and infant healthcare access, with a focus on Medicaid initiatives, value-based care systems, and leveraging the perinatal workforce.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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A brief that discusses ways to improve maternal and infant healthcare access, with a focus on Medicaid initiatives, value-based care systems, and leveraging the perinatal workforce.
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
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Ambulance Deserts: Geographic Disparities in the Provision of Ambulance Services
Chartbook presenting data on ambulance deserts from 41 states in 2021-2022, and identifying places and people that are more than 25 minutes from an ambulance station. Include maps of ambulance desert locations and healthcare facility locations for every state with available data, and documents coverage gaps in the provision of ambulance services across geographic areas across the United States.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Carly Milkowski, Zachariah Croll, Karen Pearson
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Chartbook presenting data on ambulance deserts from 41 states in 2021-2022, and identifying places and people that are more than 25 minutes from an ambulance station. Include maps of ambulance desert locations and healthcare facility locations for every state with available data, and documents coverage gaps in the provision of ambulance services across geographic areas across the United States.
Author(s): Yvonne Jonk, Carly Milkowski, Zachariah Croll, Karen Pearson
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Improving Health Care Access in Rural Communities: Obstacles and Opportunities
Presents the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Health Care hearing on improving access to high-quality, affordable healthcare in rural communities. Discusses workforce issues, education pipeline, transportation, broadband, school-based health centers, payment models and value-based care, and rural-friendly policies. Features testimonies from representatives of Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital, Choptank Community Health System, Essentia Health, and the Sheps Center For Health Services Research.
Additional links: Testimony by David Herman, Testimony by Erin Aune, Testimony by Mark Holmes, Testimony by Sara Rich
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Health Care
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Presents the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Health Care hearing on improving access to high-quality, affordable healthcare in rural communities. Discusses workforce issues, education pipeline, transportation, broadband, school-based health centers, payment models and value-based care, and rural-friendly policies. Features testimonies from representatives of Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital, Choptank Community Health System, Essentia Health, and the Sheps Center For Health Services Research.
Additional links: Testimony by David Herman, Testimony by Erin Aune, Testimony by Mark Holmes, Testimony by Sara Rich
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Senate Committee on Finance, Subcommittee on Health Care
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Health Care Capsule: Accessing Health Care in Rural America
Discusses challenges rural communities face related to healthcare access, such as limited healthcare providers, travel distance and transportation issues, insurance coverage, and access to broadband. Provides policy recommendations from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to address rural healthcare disparities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Discusses challenges rural communities face related to healthcare access, such as limited healthcare providers, travel distance and transportation issues, insurance coverage, and access to broadband. Provides policy recommendations from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to address rural healthcare disparities.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Access to Maternity Providers: Midwives and Birth Centers
Provides an overview of the role of certified nurse-midwives and birth centers in Medicaid and how beneficiaries use these services. Describes policy issues and barriers to expanding access to midwives and birth centers, including payment policies; contracting with managed care organizations; licensure, certification, and accreditation; scope of practice; and limited supply. Includes rural considerations throughout.
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Provides an overview of the role of certified nurse-midwives and birth centers in Medicaid and how beneficiaries use these services. Describes policy issues and barriers to expanding access to midwives and birth centers, including payment policies; contracting with managed care organizations; licensure, certification, and accreditation; scope of practice; and limited supply. Includes rural considerations throughout.
Date: 05/2023
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Changes in Marketplace Premiums and Insurer Participation, 2022-2023
Examines changes in Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace premiums and insurer participation between 2022 and 2023. Reports on changes in average lowest silver premiums in the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplaces from 2019 to 2022 by state. Includes tables for select states with select urban and rural regional data.
Author(s): John Holahan, Erik Wengle, Claire O'Brien
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Examines changes in Affordable Care Act Health Insurance Marketplace premiums and insurer participation between 2022 and 2023. Reports on changes in average lowest silver premiums in the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplaces from 2019 to 2022 by state. Includes tables for select states with select urban and rural regional data.
Author(s): John Holahan, Erik Wengle, Claire O'Brien
Date: 04/2023
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Health Care Coverage, Affordability, and Access Among Rural and Urban Adults Ages 50 to 64
Examines differences in healthcare coverage, affordability, and access trends among rural and urban adults aged 50-64 between 2012 and 2019. Explores possible factors driving healthcare coverage disparities. Offers policy recommendations to improve access to coverage and affordable healthcare among older adults, especially those in rural areas.
Author(s): Olivia Dean, Beth Carter, Robert C. Saunders, et al.
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organizations: AARP Public Policy Institute, KNG Health
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Examines differences in healthcare coverage, affordability, and access trends among rural and urban adults aged 50-64 between 2012 and 2019. Explores possible factors driving healthcare coverage disparities. Offers policy recommendations to improve access to coverage and affordable healthcare among older adults, especially those in rural areas.
Author(s): Olivia Dean, Beth Carter, Robert C. Saunders, et al.
Date: 03/2023
Sponsoring organizations: AARP Public Policy Institute, KNG Health
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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
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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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
Sponsoring organization: Maine Rural Health Research Center
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Geographic Access to Pediatric Cancer Care in the US
Examines estimated travel time for various populations to access pediatric cancer care in the United States. Analyzes data from more than 90 million children and adolescents and young adults (AYAs) extracted from 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Includes demographic breakdowns of median travel time by race/ethnicity, age, health insurance status, area deprivation index (ADI), U.S. region, and urban, large town, small town, or rural location. Provides maps that show travel time from population centroids of U.S. ZIP code tabulation areas as well as per capita pediatric oncologist supply by Census division and state.
Author(s): Xiaohui Liu, Mark N. Fluchel, Anne C. Kirchhoff, Haojie Zhu, Tracy Onega
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(1), e2251524
Date: 01/2023
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Examines estimated travel time for various populations to access pediatric cancer care in the United States. Analyzes data from more than 90 million children and adolescents and young adults (AYAs) extracted from 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Includes demographic breakdowns of median travel time by race/ethnicity, age, health insurance status, area deprivation index (ADI), U.S. region, and urban, large town, small town, or rural location. Provides maps that show travel time from population centroids of U.S. ZIP code tabulation areas as well as per capita pediatric oncologist supply by Census division and state.
Author(s): Xiaohui Liu, Mark N. Fluchel, Anne C. Kirchhoff, Haojie Zhu, Tracy Onega
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(1), e2251524
Date: 01/2023
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