HOW WILL THIS HEALTH REFORM HELP ?
Medicaid expansion is seen by rural communities as an important provision of health reform legislation. This health reform will change the lives of many people that are not insured. The couple of ways that it can help is by the fallowing:Encouraging preventive care,Boosting the health workforce,Coverage expansion and insurance plus it will also tele-health. Tele-health simply means moving forward in hospitals with ne modern technologies that urban areas have and not rural areas.
"The reform proposals debated in the U.S. House and Senate in late 2009 would reduce the number of uninsured persons in rural areas, leaving only about 4 percent uninsured, said Keith Mueller of the University of Nebraska Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis. This would be accomplished by expanding Medicaid and by improving the individual and small business insurance markets through an insurance exchange and with the help of government subsidies. Unlike providers in most other areas, providers in rural communities rely on Medicaid as an important source of income. "
(all health reform)
Some concerns with the Health Reform In Rural areas
"Though the current reform proposals contain many benefits to Americans who live in rural communities, even if major reforms are enacted, many questions remain. Areas of uncertainty include whether the proposed insurance exchange or exchanges would be able to provide choice of insurance plans to residents of rural areas, and whether these plans would contract with local providers. Also of concern is whether Medicare reimbursement levels would be sufficient to allow critical access hospitals to survive in rural communities. In addition there are questions about the capacity of the health workforce, whether it will be sufficient to meet demand when coverage is expanded and whether telemedicine will grow to help fill the need. State practice acts and licensing will play a role in the delivery of tele-health services and in the use of allied health professionals.These policy issues will have to be addressed within states and beyond state borders. As policymakers look to new models of care delivery, there are yet other questions. Will Medicare and Medicaid patient-centered medical home demonstrations reach rural areas? Will they be allowed to adapt the model as necessary to the unique characteristics of these communities? These and other issues will play out over the coming weeks—and years."(all-health.org)
Medicaid expansion is seen by rural communities as an important provision of health reform legislation. This health reform will change the lives of many people that are not insured. The couple of ways that it can help is by the fallowing:Encouraging preventive care,Boosting the health workforce,Coverage expansion and insurance plus it will also tele-health. Tele-health simply means moving forward in hospitals with ne modern technologies that urban areas have and not rural areas.
"The reform proposals debated in the U.S. House and Senate in late 2009 would reduce the number of uninsured persons in rural areas, leaving only about 4 percent uninsured, said Keith Mueller of the University of Nebraska Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis. This would be accomplished by expanding Medicaid and by improving the individual and small business insurance markets through an insurance exchange and with the help of government subsidies. Unlike providers in most other areas, providers in rural communities rely on Medicaid as an important source of income. "
(all health reform)
Some concerns with the Health Reform In Rural areas
"Though the current reform proposals contain many benefits to Americans who live in rural communities, even if major reforms are enacted, many questions remain. Areas of uncertainty include whether the proposed insurance exchange or exchanges would be able to provide choice of insurance plans to residents of rural areas, and whether these plans would contract with local providers. Also of concern is whether Medicare reimbursement levels would be sufficient to allow critical access hospitals to survive in rural communities. In addition there are questions about the capacity of the health workforce, whether it will be sufficient to meet demand when coverage is expanded and whether telemedicine will grow to help fill the need. State practice acts and licensing will play a role in the delivery of tele-health services and in the use of allied health professionals.These policy issues will have to be addressed within states and beyond state borders. As policymakers look to new models of care delivery, there are yet other questions. Will Medicare and Medicaid patient-centered medical home demonstrations reach rural areas? Will they be allowed to adapt the model as necessary to the unique characteristics of these communities? These and other issues will play out over the coming weeks—and years."(all-health.org)