Health Care Spending in Rural vs. Urban U.S. by Health Condition

Health care spending patterns vary substantially between rural and urban areas in the United States, yet comprehensive condition-specific expenditure analyses across this geographic divide remain limited. Using health insurance claim data and facility records from multiple sources, this project will examine detailed healthcare spending patterns across the rural-urban continuum by specific health conditions and by type of care (ambulatory care, dental care, emergency department care, home health care, hospital inpatient care, nursing facility care, and purchase of prescribed retail pharmaceuticals).

This research will address two questions about healthcare spending patterns across the rural-urban continuum in the United States:

1. Which health conditions and types of care are associated with the highest levels of spending in rural versus urban U.S. counties, and how have these patterns changed over time?
2. How does variation in spending across rural and urban counties differ based on county characteristics and Census Division?