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Rural Health Information Hub

Healthcare Access in Rural Communities – Resources

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

Marketplace Premiums and Participation in 2021
Report examining changes in marketplace insurance premiums and insurer participation at the state and rating region level from 2020-2021. Offers data on state average benchmark premium and percent changes over time between 2017-2020. Appendix B offers tables for select states with select urban and rural regional data.
Author(s): John Holahan, Jessica Banthin, Erik Wengle
Date: 05/2021
Sponsoring organization: Urban Institute
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Medicaid and Rural Health
Provides an overview of rural residents, including socioeconomic characteristics, insurance status, and health status. Explores the availability of healthcare providers in rural areas, with a focus on primary care providers and hospitals. Discusses the role of Medicaid in rural health, as well as Medicaid policies and services that are important for providing healthcare in rural communities.
Date: 04/2021
Sponsoring organization: Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health Services: Key Findings from the 2020 KFF Women's Health Survey
Presents selected findings from the 2020 KFF Women's Health Survey with a focus on coverage and use of reproductive and sexual health services. Discusses the use and coverage of contraceptives, access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, sexual and reproductive health counseling and education, and more. Includes rural data throughout.
Author(s): Brittni Frederiksen, Usha Ranji, Alina Salganicoff, Michelle Long
Date: 04/2021
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Rural Obstetric Unit Closures and Maternal and Infant Health
Policy paper examining the discontinuation of obstetric services in rural communities. Discusses factors contributing to obstetric unit closures, including hospital financial constraints, Medicaid reimbursement rates, and maternal health workforce concerns. Offers policy recommendations to prevent additional obstetric unit closures in rural areas.
Author(s): Lindsay Corcoran, Catherine Clary, Sarah Brinkman
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
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OBGYNs and the Provision of Sexual and Reproductive Health Care: Key Findings from a National Survey
Reports on a nationwide survey of obstetrician-gynecologists (OBGYNs) regarding sexual and reproductive healthcare, covering screening practices; provision of contraception, abortion, and sexually transmitted infection care; and the effects of policy on healthcare access and quality. Analyzes survey data from 1,210 OBGYN participants on contraception provision and other services, access to specific services based on regional and urban/rural location, provider characteristics and experiences, Medicaid coverage, and more.
Author(s): Gabriela Weigel, Brittni Frederiksen, Usha Ranji, Alina Salganicoff
Date: 02/2021
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Barriers to Health Care Access for Rural Medicare Beneficiaries: Recommendations from Rural Health Clinics
Presents findings from an online survey of Rural Health Clinics, describing barriers for Medicare patients in accessing healthcare services. Includes recommendations for improving access to care for rural Medicare beneficiaries.
Author(s): Megan Lahr, Carrie Henning-Smith, Adrita Rahman, Ashley M. Hernandez
Date: 01/2021
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
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Bright Spots: Case Studies in Innovative Rural Healthcare
Profiles 8 rural healthcare facilities and communities that successfully addressed issues regarding access to healthcare and explores commonalities across the case studies. Describes how these initiatives optimize leadership, cultural transformation, data utilization, rural maternity care, and external partnerships.
Date: 2021
Sponsoring organization: A&M Rural and Community Health Institute
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Taking Flight: Charity Airplane Services Transport Patients to Medical Care
Highlights the role charitable flight services play in helping get rural patients to needed healthcare services. Features programs that serve veterans, cancer patients, the chronically ill, and abused children.
Author(s): Jenn Lukens
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2018
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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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
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
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5 Ways to Conduct Outreach in Rural Communities
Highlights 5 strategies to assist rural communities with outreach and enrollment of eligible children in Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Date: 07/2018
Sponsoring organizations: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, InsureKidsNow.gov
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