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.

Medicaid Expansion in Texas: Potential Economic and Employment Implications
Compares the findings of a survey of low-income adults in Texas – a non-expansion Medicaid state – with the findings from surveys of low-income populations living in Arkansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana – states having expanded Medicaid to assess the economic impact on their families and their state.
Author(s): Lucy Chen, Joy Madubuonwu, Caroline Pecos-Duarte, Benjamin D. Sommers
Date: 09/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
view details
Supportive Services and Caregiving for Older Rural Adults: Policy Brief and Recommendations to the Secretary
Provides an overview of current supportive services and caregiving policies for rural seniors, in terms of availability, accessibility, and acceptability of services. Explores topics including long-term services and supports, telehealth, care coordination, transportation, stigma, and unpaid caregivers, and describes federal programs for older adults. Offers policy recommendations and considerations.
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
view details
Rural Health Research Recap: Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage Among Rural Children
Provides summaries of recent research on poverty among rural children, their access to insurance, and care available to Medicaid beneficiaries. Features statistics from 2012 on groups covered by Medicaid and distribution of Medicaid enrollment of children by race or ethnicity, with breakdowns by urban, large rural, small rural, or isolated rural location.
Author(s): Shawnda Schroeder
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
view details
Rural Health Research Recap: Healthcare Access and Status Among Rural Children
Provides summaries of research on rural children's health status and outcomes. Features statistics from 2011-2012 on children's health status by geography and insurance type, proportion of children with excellent or very good condition of teeth, and maternal smoking behavior, with breakdowns by urban, large rural, or small rural location.
Author(s): Shawnda Schroeder
Date: 08/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
view details
A Conversation on Maternal Health Care in Rural Communities: Charting a Path to Improved Access, Quality and Outcomes
Provides a recording of a day-long forum on maternal health access in rural communities. Addresses statistics on maternal health access, disparities in access and mortality rates, healthcare quality, models of care, state and federal policies related to maternal health, and more.
Additional links: Agenda, External Summary
Date: 06/2019
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Measuring Access to Care in National Surveys: Implications for Rural Health
Policy position brief reviewing access measures used in major national surveys and discussing implications for rural research on access to care. Features tables showing surveys, populations studied, and geographic measures; example survey questions for each access domain; and access to care measures in nationally-representative surveys.
Author(s): Carrie Henning-Smith, Ashley M. Hernandez, Hannah Neprash, Megan Lahr
Date: 06/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
view details
Identification of High-Need Rural Counties to Assist in Resource Location Planning for Primary Care
Demonstrates a selection process to sort counties by health and healthcare needs, and to identify areas with poor health outcomes and limited access to Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Features statistics and county-level maps showing distribution of safety net providers in rural counties, distribution of average decile scores for health outcomes, socioeconomic characteristics, health behaviors, access to healthcare, and physical environment, among rural counties without an RHC and an FQHC.
Author(s): Charity B. Breneman, Jan M. Eberth, Janice C. Probst
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
view details
Identification of High-Need Rural Counties to Assist in Resource Location Planning
Demonstrates a technique for identifying rural counties that are at risk for poor health outcomes and have few or no Rural Health Clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, or Critical Access Hospitals. Features statistics and county-level maps showing distribution of safety net providers in rural counties, and distribution of average decile scores for health outcomes, socioeconomic characteristics, health behaviors, access to health care, and physical environment, among rural counties lacking a core safety net provider.
Author(s): Charity B. Breneman, Jan M. Eberth, Janice C. Probst
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural and Minority Health Research Center (formerly the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center)
view details
Life in Rural America: Part II
Highlights the results of a survey of quality of life, safety, and health for rural adults in the United States. Survey inquires into the experiences of rural adults in the areas of health, access to healthy food, and social, civic, and economic well-being.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, NPR, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
view details
Geographic Variation in Spatial Accessibility of U.S. Healthcare Providers
Examines spatial accessibility and other factors of accessibility for key physician and non-physician groups, including primary care physicians, specialists, nurse practitioners, and chiropractors in rural and urban locations, using geospatial methods. Population data, Medicare claims, provider location, professional school location, and U.S. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) were used in the analyses.
Author(s): Keith B. Naylor, Joshua Tooto, Olga Yakusheva, et al.
Citation: PLoS One, 14(4)
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
view details

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


Last Updated: 3/4/2024