March 4, 2014: The impact of the ACA Medicaid expansion on health care coverage and access in rural areas is largely unknown and will depend on both the different state policy contexts in which the expansions are implemented and existing system capacity.
Understanding how many rural residents are likely to become newly eligible for Medicaid under the ACA, as well as their characteristics and health status, will provide important information to aid policymakers in structuring outreach and enrollment strategies and ensuring that the healthcare infrastructure and delivery systems in rural areas can address the needs of these individuals.
Dr. Erika Ziller, Deputy Director of the Maine Rural Health Research Center at the University of Southern Maine, is conducting research under a SHARE grant to inform federal and state implementation of the Medicaid expansion by estimating the size and characteristics of the rural population likely to be newly eligible.
On a webinar on March 18, 2014, co-hosted by SHARE and the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center, Dr. Ziller will present nationally representative information to federal and state policymakers identifying rural-urban differences among low-income non-elderly adults (18 to 65) in the following areas:
- Medicaid eligibility, pre-ACA
- Medicaid participation, pre-ACA
- New Medicaid eligibility in 2014
Dr. Ziller will also analyze the characteristics associated with any rural-urban differences in the above areas. Characteristics to be considered include age, gender, employment, education, income, Census region, health status, current relationship to primary care provider, primary care supply, and FQHC availability.
Joining Dr. Ziller on the webinar will be Dr. Ira Moscovice, Director of the Minnesota Rural Health Research Center. Dr. Moscovice will respond to Dr. Ziller's presentation and add his perspective on the Medicaid expansion in rural areas based on his own expertise in field of rural health.
We hope you can join us for this event, which is free and open to the public. If you have any questions, please contact Carrie Au-Yeung at butle180@umn.edu or 612-625-2492.