Health insurance coverage in small towns and rural America: the role of Medicaid expansion
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Author(s):
- Hoadley, Jack, author Alker, Joan, author Holmes, Mark, author
- Contributor(s):
- Georgetown University. Health Policy Institute. Center for Children and Families, issuing body. Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. Rural Health Research Program, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, DC : Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, Center for Children and Families ; Chapel Hill, North Carolina : University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Rural Health Research Program, September 2018
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Insurance Coverage -- statistics & numerical data Medicaid -- statistics & numerical data Rural Population United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Key Findings. (1) The uninsured rate for low-income adult citizens (below 138 percent FPL) has come down since 2008/09 in nearly all states, but small towns and rural areas of states that have expanded Medicaid have seen the sharpest declines. The uninsured rate for this population dropped sharply from 35 percent to 16 percent in rural areas and small towns of Medicaid expansion states compared to a decline from 38 percent to 32 percent in non-expansion states between 2008/09 and 2015/16. (2) States that experienced the biggest drop in uninsured rates for low-income adults living in small towns and rural areas are Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, and West Virginia. (3) Non-expansion states with the highest rate of uninsured low-income adults in small towns and rural areas are South Dakota, Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, and Mississippi. Two states that more recently made decisions to expand Medicaid--Alaska and Louisiana--are also among the states with the highest uninsured rates for low-income adults in non-metro areas. (4) The non-expansion states with the biggest coverage disparities between rural areas and small towns and metro areas are Virginia (which recently decided to expand Medicaid), Utah (which will vote this fall on a Medicaid ballot initiative), Florida, and Missouri. The experience in expansion states demonstrates the great opportunity for these states to bring down the uninsured rate in small towns and rural areas and narrow the gap between metro and rural areas.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (20 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101770832 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101770832