Research Alert: December 12, 2019

Rural-Urban Differences in Access to and Attitudes Toward Care for Medicare Beneficiaries

Access to timely, affordable healthcare is important to health outcomes and overall well-being. However, even among Medicare beneficiaries who all have the same minimum insurance coverage, access to care may differ by rural-urban location because of significant differences in the healthcare and socio-demographic landscape. This brief describes rural-urban differences in access to and attitudes toward care for Medicare beneficiaries.

Additional Resources of Interest:

• Measuring Access to Care in National Surveys: Implications for Rural Health
• More information about the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
• More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guide: Healthcare Access