Rural Health Policy – Resources
Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Health Policy.
How to Design Value‐based Care Models for Rural Participant Success: A Summit Findings Report
Summarizes a July 2020 virtual summit of rural participants in value‐based care (VBC) models and programs. Details six themes on VBC model design, implementation, and operation that can influence rural organization participation in VBC models. Provides recommendations for VBC model designers to improve rural healthcare provider participation and success in VBC models.
Author(s): Keith Mueller, Clint MacKinney, Jennifer Lundblad, Karla Weng
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
view details
Summarizes a July 2020 virtual summit of rural participants in value‐based care (VBC) models and programs. Details six themes on VBC model design, implementation, and operation that can influence rural organization participation in VBC models. Provides recommendations for VBC model designers to improve rural healthcare provider participation and success in VBC models.
Author(s): Keith Mueller, Clint MacKinney, Jennifer Lundblad, Karla Weng
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
view details
How Evidence-based Is US Dental Workforce Policy for Rural Communities?
Examines the alignment of policy and infrastructure with evidence-based strategies to promote access to oral health services for rural people. Focuses on best practices as well as barriers and facilitators to implementation of workforce strategies to increase the availability of services. Presents a scoping review of the evidence behind key strategies in the U.S. health policy context.
Author(s): Miranda Werts, Ginachukwa Amah, Elizabeth Mertz
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
view details
Examines the alignment of policy and infrastructure with evidence-based strategies to promote access to oral health services for rural people. Focuses on best practices as well as barriers and facilitators to implementation of workforce strategies to increase the availability of services. Presents a scoping review of the evidence behind key strategies in the U.S. health policy context.
Author(s): Miranda Werts, Ginachukwa Amah, Elizabeth Mertz
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Oral Health Workforce Research Center
view details
Rural Action Plan
Provides an overview of the rural health care and human services landscape. Outlines a Four-Point strategy to build a sustainable health and human services model for rural communities, leverage technology and innovation, focus on preventing disease and mortality, and increase rural access to care. Identifies opportunities to transform rural health and human services through federal government partnership and describes new policies and programs to implement the Four-Point Strategy. Highlights actions already taken by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support rural communities.
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
view details
Provides an overview of the rural health care and human services landscape. Outlines a Four-Point strategy to build a sustainable health and human services model for rural communities, leverage technology and innovation, focus on preventing disease and mortality, and increase rural access to care. Identifies opportunities to transform rural health and human services through federal government partnership and describes new policies and programs to implement the Four-Point Strategy. Highlights actions already taken by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support rural communities.
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
view details
Left Out: Barriers to Health Equity for Rural and Underserved Communities
Summarizes responses to a Request for Information from the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee's Rural and Underserved Communities Health Task Force. Describes factors contributing to healthcare challenges in rural areas, including demographics, social and structural determinants of health, insurance coverage, access to care, and workforce shortages. Highlights promising models of healthcare delivery in rural areas. Includes state-by-state health equity maps.
Additional links: State and Territory Health Equity Maps, Summary
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
view details
Summarizes responses to a Request for Information from the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee's Rural and Underserved Communities Health Task Force. Describes factors contributing to healthcare challenges in rural areas, including demographics, social and structural determinants of health, insurance coverage, access to care, and workforce shortages. Highlights promising models of healthcare delivery in rural areas. Includes state-by-state health equity maps.
Additional links: State and Territory Health Equity Maps, Summary
Date: 07/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: House Ways and Means Committee
view details
Improving Rural Health: State Policy Options for Increasing Access to Care
Discusses strategies from state legislatures and other stakeholders to increase access to healthcare in rural areas. Focuses on policies and policy options for state legislatures in three areas: improving health insurance coverage, safeguarding rural health facilities, and changing rural healthcare delivery. Features examples from Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Jack Pitsor
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
view details
Discusses strategies from state legislatures and other stakeholders to increase access to healthcare in rural areas. Focuses on policies and policy options for state legislatures in three areas: improving health insurance coverage, safeguarding rural health facilities, and changing rural healthcare delivery. Features examples from Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Author(s): Jack Pitsor
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
view details
Toward a High Performing Rural Health Care System: Key Issues and Recommendations from Rural Health Care System Innovators
Summarizes key themes and recommendations from a meeting of rural health leaders regarding innovations in rural healthcare financing and service delivery to inform state and national policy discussions. Offers recommendations, examples, and discussion on 3 areas: financing rural health system innovation, creating an infrastructure to support rural health innovation, and promoting governance models that support innovation.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Charlie Alfero, Andrew F. Coburn, et al.
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
view details
Summarizes key themes and recommendations from a meeting of rural health leaders regarding innovations in rural healthcare financing and service delivery to inform state and national policy discussions. Offers recommendations, examples, and discussion on 3 areas: financing rural health system innovation, creating an infrastructure to support rural health innovation, and promoting governance models that support innovation.
Author(s): Keith J. Mueller, Charlie Alfero, Andrew F. Coburn, et al.
Date: 05/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute Rural Health Panel
view details
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
view details
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
view details
CMS Cross Cutting Initiative: Rural Health
A fact sheet that provides examples of how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working to eliminate disparities in rural healthcare access related to workforce shortages, facility closures, and infrastructure issues. Discusses innovative healthcare payment models from 2023 that address barriers to value-based care in rural healthcare delivery.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
A fact sheet that provides examples of how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working to eliminate disparities in rural healthcare access related to workforce shortages, facility closures, and infrastructure issues. Discusses innovative healthcare payment models from 2023 that address barriers to value-based care in rural healthcare delivery.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
view details
Toward Racial Equity & Rural Prosperity: Legal & Policy Resources for Rural Communities
Resources for local and state policymakers discussing inequity in rural communities for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). Includes resources for policymaking, water access, housing, and broadband.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: ChangeLab Solutions
view details
Resources for local and state policymakers discussing inequity in rural communities for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). Includes resources for policymaking, water access, housing, and broadband.
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: ChangeLab Solutions
view details
Health Costs, Coverage and Delivery State Legislation Database
Identifies enacted state legislation addressing healthcare costs, access, and health system efficiencies. Topics covered include alternative payment methods, health insurance marketplaces, health system consolidation and competition, Medicaid reforms, price transparency, surprise billing, and telehealth. Searchable by state, topic, keyword, year, status, and primary sponsor. Updated every two weeks, with information on legislation starting in 2022.
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
view details
Identifies enacted state legislation addressing healthcare costs, access, and health system efficiencies. Topics covered include alternative payment methods, health insurance marketplaces, health system consolidation and competition, Medicaid reforms, price transparency, surprise billing, and telehealth. Searchable by state, topic, keyword, year, status, and primary sponsor. Updated every two weeks, with information on legislation starting in 2022.
Type: Database
Sponsoring organization: National Conference of State Legislatures
view details
Additional resources are available related to this guide. See the full list of resources by topic for:
Last Updated: 3/19/2024