Medicare Blog

why is there a higher % of medicare recipients in rural areas

by Prof. Earnest Upton MD Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago

As “private fee-for-service” insurers developed Medicare Advantage offerings and began marketing these plans in rural areas, rural Medicare recipients have been joining Medicare Advantage plans in higher numbers. Between 2007 and 2008, rural participation in Medicare Advantage increased 30%. In cities, the growth rate was half that, or 15 percent.

Medicare covers a higher proportion of the population in rural than urban areas (fig. 2). The rural coverage rate is higher because rural residents are more likely to be elderly or disabled than urban residents (table 1).

Full Answer

Do Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries in rural areas receive better care?

Mar 01, 2021 · Among those requiring more expensive services, rural enrollees were about twice as likely to switch from Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare as …

Do Rural residents get better health care than urban residents?

Nov 30, 2019 · The Charlottesville area’s position as a population center in the middle of a rural region is one reason its Medicare payment rates are higher than in other areas.

What percentage of people in rural areas have no health insurance?

Oct 08, 2021 · Residents of rural counties still lack insurance at higher rates than those living in urban areas. About 12.3 percent of people in completely rural counties lacked health insurance compared with 11.3 percent for mostly rural counties and 10.1 percent for mostly urban counties. ... based on the percentage of people who live in rural areas within ...

What is rural-urban disparities in health care in Medicare?

Oct 08, 2014 · There are more than 1,200 critical access hospitals, which are generally the sole hospital in rural areas and can have no more than 25 beds. ... but one in seven Medicare recipients lacks such a ...

Why is healthcare more expensive in rural areas?

A lack of competition among payers and providers in rural areas means consumers who live there have fewer, more-costly coverage options.Nov 21, 2018

How does living in a rural area affect healthcare?

Rural residents report less leisure-time physical activity and lower seatbelt use than their urban counterparts. They also have higher rates of poverty, less access to healthcare, and are less likely to have health insurance. All of these factors can lead to poor health outcomes.

Why are rural residents considered a group at high risk for health problems?

Rural communities find it difficult to recruit or to retain qualified health care providers, and so the residents must travel long distances to obtain care. Being self-employed, few have health insurance or workers' compensation insurance.

Do rural areas have less access to healthcare?

According to Access to Care: Populations in Counties with No FQHC, RHC, or Acute Care Hospital, rural populations have more limited access to primary care physicians than residents of urban areas, and are older, sicker, and poorer than urban counterparts.

Which healthcare problem is more common in rural areas compared to urban areas?

Compared to urban residents, rural residents have higher all-cause mortality rates,6 higher rates of premature morbidity and mortality from diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and childhood obesity,710 lower access and use of preventive health care services,11,12 and they are more likely to engage in unhealthy ...Jun 1, 2020

Why do rural areas have poorer health?

Poorer health outcomes in rural and remote areas may be due to multiple factors including lifestyle differences and a level of disadvantage related to education and employment opportunities, as well as access to health services.Oct 22, 2019

Why is rural healthcare an issue?

Although rural hospitals provide great benefits to their communities, they are not immune to the numerous challenges in providing health care, such as workforce shortages, aging infrastructure and cybersecurity threats.Jan 28, 2020

What are the major health problem in rural area?

Contagious, infectious and waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, amoebiasis, typhoid, infectious hepatitis, worm infestations, measles, malaria, tuberculosis, whooping cough, respiratory infections, pneumonia and reproductive tract infections dominate the morbidity pattern, especially in rural areas.

What factors influence rural health?

This guide focuses on the barriers and challenges that rural residents experience, discussing the impact of and documenting rural differences related to:
  • Income, employment, and poverty.
  • Educational attainment and literacy.
  • Race/ethnicity.
  • Sexual orientation/gender identity.
  • Health literacy.

Why is rural healthcare important?

Rural hospitals increase local access and allow patients to focus on “getting better” rather than “getting to appointments.” Through connectivity and collaboration rural hospitals are large enough to serve our community's health needs, but we are also small enough to care.

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