Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Access To Health Care Services For Adults In Maine [Policy Brief], Erika C. Ziller Phd, Barbara Leonard Mph, Amanda Burgess Mppm, Nathan Paluso Mph

Access / Insurance

This data brief by researchers at the Maine Health Access Foundation and the University of Southern Maine's Maine Rural Health Research Center found ongoing inequality in the ability of people in Maine to get quality health care. The report examines data from 2014-2016 and shows that Maine people, of all income groups, report difficulties in paying medical costs. Research has also found the ability to seek timely and appropriate health care is impacted by income levels, educational background, race and ethnicity.
This brief provides an update to the 2016 study (available in Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1038&context=insurance)

For more information, please …

Integrated Care Management In Rural Communities, Eileen Griffin Jd, Andrew F. Coburn Phd

Mental Health / Substance Use Disorders

No abstract provided.

High Deductible Health Insurance Plans In Rural Areas, Jennifer D. Lenardson Mhs, Erika C. Ziller Phd, Andrew F. Coburn Phd

Access / Insurance

Enrollment in high deductible health plans (HDHPs) has increased amid concerns about growing health care costs to patients, employers, and insurers. Prior research indicates that rural individuals are more likely than their urban counterparts to face high out-of-pocket health care costs relative to income, despite coverage through private health insurance, a difference related both to the lower income of rural residents generally and to the quality of the private plans through which they have coverage. Using the 2007-2010 National Health Interview Survey, this study examines rural residents’ enrollment in HDHPs and the implications for evolving Affordable Care Act Health Insurance …

Telemental Health In Today's Rural Health System, David Lambert Phd, John A. Gale Ms, Anush Yousefian Hansen Ms, Ma, Zachariah T. Croll Ba, David Hartley Phd, Mha

Mental Health / Substance Use Disorders

Telemental health has long been promoted in rural areas to address chronic access barriers to mental health care. While support and enthusiasm for telemental health in rural areas remains quite high, we lack a clear picture of the reality of telemental health in rural areas, compared to its promise. This Research & Policy Brief reports on the first part of our study—the online survey of 53 telemental health programs—and describes the organizational setting, services provided, and the staff mix of these programs. We draw from our telephone interviews with 23 of these programs to help describe the organizational context of …

Rural America: A Look Beyond The Images, John A. Gale Ms

Access / Insurance

The issues faced by patients and providers in rural health care differ greatly from those of urban counterparts. They also differ across rural communities. Understanding these differences, and the differences among rural populations across America, is critical to providing health services to rural Americans, who are often impeded by economic factors, cultural and social differences, educational shortcomings and isolation in their efforts to lead normal, healthy lives. The challenges provide opportunities for Catholic health care to make a difference in the lives and health of some of the nation's most vulnerable citizens.