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The Role Of Public Versus Private Health Insurance In Ensuring Health Care Access & Affordability For Low-Income Rural Children, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Amanda Burgess Mppm

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Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) have played a critical role in ensuring access to health insurance coverage among children and have been particularly important sources of coverage for rural children. More than 35.5 million children were enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP in September 2016—accounting for just over half of total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment. Given the large proportion of rural children covered by public insurance, it is critically important to understand the role of that coverage in ensuring access to affordable healthcare for rural children. Using data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children’s Health, this study …

Impact Of Employment Transitions On Health Insurance Coverage Of Rural Residents, Nathaniel J. Anderson Ms, Mph, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Melanie M. Race Ms, Andrew F. Coburn Phd

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Numerous studies have found that rural residents are more likely to be uninsured than urban residents. This coverage difference is generally due to more limited access for rural workers to employer-sponsored health insurance. Lower wages, and the tendency for rural residents to work for small employers, account for this reduced access. While we have substantial information on static insurance coverage rates for rural residents, our knowledge about how coverage changes with employment transitions is limited. Prior research indicates that loss of a job puts workers at greater risk of becoming uninsured, and there is some evidence that this risk is …

Health Insurance Profile Indicates Need To Expand Coverage In Rural Areas, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Andrew F. Coburn Phd, Nathaniel J. Anderson Ms, Mph

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Key Findings: A greater percentage of rural residents than urban residents are uninsured, especially those living in remote areas Among adults over age 50, uninsured rates are highest in the most remote rural places Compared to urban adults, rural adults are less likely to be in employment situations where private coverage is offered.

Profile Of Rural Health Insurance Coverage: A Chartbook, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Andrew F. Coburn Phd

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More than twenty years of research has demonstrated that rural residents are at greater risk of being uninsured compared to urban residents and more recent studies point to problems of underinsurance as well. Most studies have shown that the problems of uninsurance and underinsurance are greatest among rural residents living in smaller communities located further from more urbanized areas. Section I examines recent estimates and changes since 1997 in rural health insurance coverage. Section II explores differences in the demographic, socio-economic, employment and other risk factors for uninsurance among rural and urban residents. Section III profiles the demographic and economic …

The 2009 Report To The Secretary: Rural Health And Human Services Issues, National Advisory Committee On Rural Health And Human Services

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This is the 2009 Annual Report by the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS). This year’s report examines three key topics in health and human services and their effects in rural areas: workforce and community development, creating viable patient-centered medical homes, and serving at-risk children. All are pertinent and timely issues that the Committee chose during its February 2008 meeting. The chapters draw from published research and from information gathered during site visits to rural North Carolina and rural Minnesota.

The Underinsured In Rural America: The Root Of The Problem And Possible Solutions, Andrew F. Coburn Phd, Erika C. Ziller Phd

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Presentation to National Congress on the Un- and Under-Insured Washington DC.

Rural Families More Likely To Be Uninsured And Have Different Sources Of Coverage, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Andrew F. Coburn Phd, Nathaniel J. Anderson Ms, Mph, Stephanie L. Loux Ms

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This study used the 2001/2002 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), to examine the patterns of insurance coverage within rural families and to assess differences in family-level insurance status for rural and urban families (including comparisons between rural families living adjacent to and not adjacent to an urban area). Among partially uninsured families, we examined rural-urban differences in the sources of family coverage for insured family members (Medicare, Medicaid/ SCHIP, private, or a combination).

Choosing Rural Definitions: Implications For Health Policy, Andrew F. Coburn Phd, A. Clinton Mackinney Md, Ms, Timothy D. Mcbride Phd, Keith J. Mueller Phd, Rebecca T. Slifkin Phd, Mary K. Wakefield Phd, Rn

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There is no single, universally preferred definition of rural that serves all policy purposes. The choice of rural definition affects who benefits from a policy and who does not. Key considerations for understanding the policy implications of different rural definitions include the following:

• Rural definitions can be built on different units of geography, each of which has distinct advantages and disadvantages.
• The two most commonly used classification systems, those of the Census Bureau and the Office of Management and Budget, result in very different sets of places defined as rural.
• Policies and programs can be targeted when rural definitions are …