Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub

Healthcare Access in Rural Communities – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Healthcare Access in Rural Communities.

Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S. 2022
Explores maternal healthcare access and provides county-level U.S. maps that show maternity care deserts, hospitals and birth centers that offer obstetric (OB) care, distribution of OB providers, percentage of women without health insurance, percentage of births covered by Medicaid, and more. Includes rural versus urban characteristics of maternity care deserts as well as access and policy discussions specific to rural areas.
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: March of Dimes
view details
'Filling the Cracks': How a Rural Maine Community Kept its 24/7 Urgent Care Open with Paramedics
Features a pilot program serving rural Maine where paramedics take shifts staffing the local health center after-hours and on weekends.
Author(s): Gretel Kauffman
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 10/2022
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
view details
Health Insurance Marketplaces: Issuer Participation Trends in Non-Metropolitan Places, 2014-22
Policy brief examining the changes in Health Insurance Marketplace (HIM) plan issuers from 2014-2022. Presents statistics on the average number of issuers per county in each year for metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore counties and by region.
Author(s): Eliot Jost, Abigail Barker, Leah Kemper, et al.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
view details
Small Area Health Insurance Estimates: Uninsured Rates for the Population Under Age 65 in 2020
Map depicting the percentage of uninsured persons under age 65 at the county level based on 2020 data from the Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) program.
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
view details
The Most Rural Counties Have the Fewest Health Care Services Available
Examines healthcare resources in metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas, with information on availability of healthcare facilities, bed-to-population ratios, provider-to-population ratios, and Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Dobis, Jessica E. Todd
Citation: Amber Waves
Date: 08/2022
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
Availability of Medical Doctors Favors Metropolitan Areas with Low Rates of Self-Employment
Line chart tracking the number of Medical Doctors (MDs) per 10,000 residents between 1960 and 2017, comparing metro and nonmetro areas of high self-employment and low self-employment. Uses data from the HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce, 2018-19 Area Health Resources File and American Community Survey 2018 5-year data.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Dobis, Jessica E. Todd
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
Self-Employed Workers Are Less Likely To Have Health Insurance Than Those Employed by Private Firms, Governments
Examines nonmetropolitan health insurance coverage in 2018 among working age adults (26-64 years old) who are self-employed, otherwise employed, unemployed, and those not in the labor force. Includes a bar chart showing metro compared to nonmetro coverage by employment status for the following types of health insurance: none, employer-based, direct-purchase, and public.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Dobis, Jessica E. Todd
Citation: Amber Waves
Date: 07/2022
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
Adolescent Access to Federally Funded Clinics Providing Confidential Family Planning Following Changes to Title X Funding Regulations
Examines access to reproductive care across U.S. Census tracts for female minors aged 15 to 17 following 2019 changes in Title X funding. Identifies clinic access within a 30-minute drive in August 2018 before Title X changes and access in August 2020 after Title X changes. Includes demographic data on the impacted minors such as rural versus urban geography, census region, social vulnerability index (SVI), race/ethnicity, age, birth rate, and state minor confidentiality laws.
Author(s): Polina Krass, Vicky Tam, Jungwon Min, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 5(6), e2217488
Date: 06/2022
view details
Health Care Access Among Self-Employed Workers in Nonmetropolitan Counties
Report examining access to healthcare for self-employed workers, their families, and their households in rural areas, focusing on availability and affordability. Covers health insurance coverage and affordability, availability of healthcare services, and changes in work, income, health status, and healthcare access in 2020.
Author(s): Elizabeth A. Dobis, Jessica E. Todd
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
view details
State Medicaid Managed Care and Access to Rural Behavioral Health Services
Details how states with Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) are using MCO contract language to increase access to behavioral healthcare through service access requirements, provider network requirements, and telehealth utilization policies. Includes links to available MCO contracts and requests for applications.
Author(s): Eliza Mette, Jodi Manz
Date: 05/2022
Sponsoring organization: National Academy for State Health Policy
view details

Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for: