The U.S. health care system is undergoing significant transformation as a result of Federal, State, and private payer policies designed to improve access to medical care as well as the value and outcomes of health care while attempting to slow cost growth. Some payment innovations have shown evidence of improved quality, reduced care fragmentation, and lowered costs for certain populations; yet overall, the entire system has not realized substantial cost savings nor has quality improved for everyone.
This paper examines the progress of healthsystem transformation and the gaps that remain as they affect rural people, places, and providers. The paper is organized into seven chapters covering topic areas that have key implications for rural people and the rural health care delivery system: Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP, Insurance Coverage and Affordability, Quality, Health Care Finance and System Transformation, Workforce, and Population Health.
Click to download a copy: TAKING STOCK: POLICY OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVANCING RURAL HEALTH