The Challenges of Rural Health Care
December 5, 2011
For the 50 million Americans living in rural areas, it can be a challenge to find quality health care close to home. To identify and suggest ways to meet the unique needs of such communities, the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization produced a report,1 using data from their own analysis of primary care and a national UnitedHealth Group/Harris Interactive survey on the modernization of rural health care.
The report demonstrates that health care reform could bring an additional set of challenges and opportunities—changes that could both stress the rural health care system and generate innovative solutions. Resources and services such as mobile health clinics, electronic health records and telemedicine could be the key to closing care gaps and increasing quality.
The survey of current rural residents found that:
- 19.5% say they’re in fair or poor health
- 15% are over age 65
- 31% have Medicare or Medicaid as their primary source of coverage
- 5.2 million live in areas with a shortage of primary care physicians
- 24% consider local care only “fair” or “poor”
In addition, the report showed that only 11% of primary care providers are practicing in rural areas.
As for the future of U.S. rural health care, the report revealed that:
- By 2019, an additional 8.1 million rural residents could join Medicaid and state insurance exchange plans.
- 59% of rural primary care physicians plan to accept newly eligible Medicaid patients in 2014.
- 1 in 5 rural residents live in counties where they expect an increase in insured patients and a strain on available primary care.
Footnote:
1. UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization released the report, “Modernizing Rural Health Care: Coverage, quality and innovation.” Click here to read the full report.
This article was featured in the Winter 2011 issue of Ignite magazine. To find additional content from this issue, click the links below: