Current and Future Role and Impact of Medicaid in Rural Health.

摘要

Medicaid is the nations largest public insurance program and is a crucial source of health insurance coverage and provider payments for rural people, providers, and communities. The program fills gaps in health insurance coverage for rural people, particularly low-income families and children, and elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries. For example, in 2010, over 42% of low-income rural children relied on the Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as their source of coverage. The Medicaid program is also a critical source of health care financing for the rural health system, including hospitals, doctors, and providers of long-term services and supports, and contributes significantly to local, rural economies by supporting health care and related employment. This brief outlines and describes the current Medicaid program and its importance to rural America. It also discusses rural implications of program expansion, including whether and how states choose to implement changes.