Health Care Disparity Study
This study would assess several dimensions of health care costs and access, including health insurance coverage among the employed and unemployed, Medicaid and Medicare participation rates, access to hospitals, doctors, and medical practitioners, and prevalence of medical bankruptcies and debt. The study would then compare the strengths and weaknesses of various data sources and statistical methods that have been used to measure and health care costs and access. The study will also examine the economic impacts of reduced access and higher health care costs, including but not limited to higher per capita medical expenses and higher rates of medical bankruptcies. Indirect economic costs should be calculated for the Appalachian region, including the loss of disposable income for other purposes, the social cost of bankruptcy, and the impact on persistent poverty.
This study will also examine time trends and spatial variations in health care costs and access in rural and economically distressed areas, and evaluate county-level relationships between health care access and cost indicators and socioeconomic indicators, the supply of doctors and other health care providers relative to the population served, state policies for independent practice by medical practitioners, trends in Federal and state health program access and budgets (including Medicare and Medicaid), and trends in health insurance coverage. The study should review existing literature and survey best practices in providing better health insurance and health care access to rural residents, investigate whether these options can be pursued in the Appalachian region, and ascertain whether the projected benefits would exceed the costs. This study should conclude by evaluating the impact of the 2010 health care reform legislation on household and state budgets, and examining the implications of the legislation for improving health care access and services in remote and distressed rural communities.
