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Expanding Rural Health Insurance Coverage: How Do Insurance Reform Strategies Stack Up?
There is renewed interest in health insurance reform at both the state and federal level due to the continuing erosion of private insurance coverage and continuing increases in the number of uninsured. The purpose of this study is to inform policymakers about the current state of health insurance coverage in rural America, and to identify how specific reform strategies may differentially affect rural residents.
Using a combination of analytic strategies, including literature review, secondary data analyses, eligibility simulation models, and policy analyses, we will provide policymakers and rural health advocates with the necessary tools to develop reform strategies that meet the needs of rural residents. We seek to address the following research questions:
- What does a comprehensive review of the literature and research synthesis reveal about rural-urban differences in health insurance coverage, the factors associated with these differences and how economic and/or policy changes affect these differences?
- What is the current (as of 2005) status of health insurance coverage among rural residents, and how does this differ by region, socioeconomic status and degree of rurality?
- What are the implications for rural residents of specific features of health insurance reform proposals under consideration at the time of analysis?
Publications
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Health Insurance Profile Indicates Need for Reform in Rural Areas (Policy Brief)
Author(s): Jennifer Lenardson, Erika Ziller, Andrew Coburn, Nathaniel Anderson
Date: 07 / 2009
Rural residents-particularly in the most remote rural communities-are in greater need of health reform, as demonstrated by an uninsured rate higher than that of urban residents. The rural-urban disparity in coverage is driven by higher uninsured rates among rural adults, a group that should be part of any strategic effort to improve coverage. This brief provides information on the health insurance status of rural Americans, summarized from a more detailed chartbook. Analyses are based on the 2004-05 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
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Profile of Rural Health Insurance Coverage: A Chartbook
Author(s): Jennifer D. Lenardson, Erika C. Ziller, Andrew F. Coburn, Nathaniel J. Anderson
Date: 06 / 2009
As the nation considers whether and how to reform the healthcare system, it is important to consider differences in health insurance coverage for those living in rural and urban areas. Analyses of persons under age 65 from the 2004-05 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey reveal a greater proportion of rural residents than urban residents who are uninsured or covered through public sources, especially among those living in remote areas. Rural adults are at high risk of being uninsured compared to rural children. Uninsured rates are highest among adults over age 50 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.
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