September 4, 2025
Research Alert: Supply, Distribution, and Access to Cardiologists, Neurologists, Oncologists, and Pulmonologists in the Rural and Urban U.S.
This study from the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center analyzes changes in the supply and distribution specialists – cardiologists, neurologists, oncologists, and pulmonologists – that treat the conditions associated with four of the top causes of rural mortality.
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September 4, 2025
Research Alert: Rural/Urban Differences in Health, Health Care Use, and Barriers to Care for Postpartum and Parenting Women, 2006-2018
Access to maternity care has been declining in rural communities, and rural residents face elevated risks of maternal morbidity and mortality. More than half of maternal deaths in the United States occur in the postpartum year.
The goal of this analysis from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center was to describe rural/urban differences in health, health care utilization, and barriers to care for reproductive-age females, with specific focus on those who are parents of young children (ages 1-4) and those who are postpartum (gave birth last year).
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September 4, 2025
Policy Brief: Rural Beneficiary Access to Medicare Advantage – Part D Plans
In 2023, there were nearly twice as many Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans in metropolitan counties as in noncore (the most rural) counties, averaging about 29 plan choices for enrollees in metropolitan counties compared to 16 plans available to enrollees in noncore counties.
This policy brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis updates RUPRI’s analysis of MA-PDs including enhanced benefit plan availability and variations in characteristics across metropolitan, micropolitan, and noncore areas.
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July 25, 2025
Rural Health Research: Interstate Occupational Licensure Arrangements to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Services
This policy brief from the WWAMI Rural Health Research Center describes state-based provisions to expand behavioral health services through interstate licensure arrangements for:
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July 15, 2025
The Impact of High Hospital Fixed-Cost Ratios on Rural Populations
This brief from the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis describes the regional variation in Critical Access Hospital (CAH) and Low-Volume Hospital (LVH) status with respect to average fixed-to-total-cost ratios, finding that CAHs tend to have the highest ratios, followed by LVHs. However, the average ratio for each status differs regionally across the United States.
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July 15, 2025
Geographic and Demographic Correlates of Living in Manufactured Homes: Implications for Health
Manufactured homes (formerly known as mobile homes) can provide an affordable housing option, especially in places with few other options. However, manufactured homes are associated with poorer health outcomes and are less well equipped to protect their residents from the effects of natural disasters than more permanent housing structures.
This brief from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center examines rates of living in manufactured homes by rural and urban location, as well as rates among rural residents by region and socio-demographic characteristics. It also examines differences in crowded housing, housing quality, and housing cost burden by manufactured vs. more permanent housing structures.
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July 15, 2025
Obstetric Care Access Declined in Rural and Urban Hospitals Across US States, 2010-2022
With support from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, a team of researchers from the University of Minnesota, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania found widespread loss of obstetric services across states, especially among rural hospitals, during the 12-year period studied.
By 2022, eight states had more than two-thirds of rural hospitals without obstetric services.
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June 17, 2025
Rural Health Research: Preventing Medical Debt Among Rural Residents: Example Programs from Hospitals in Minnesota and Montana.
Medical debt, which includes unpaid bills, loans, and other debt incurred from health care expenses, affects roughly 15% of adults in the U.S. this is despite more than 90% of U.S. adults having some form of health insurance.
Medical debt is an important social driver of health, with disproportionate impacts for populations already experiencing greater health risks. Overall, rural residents report more problems paying medical bills and are more likely to be unable to pay their medical bills altogether in comparison to urban residents.
This case series from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center examines how two rural hospitals aim to reduce medical debt for their patient populations and address barriers to medical debt relief.
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May 1, 2025
Rural Health Research: Federal and State Reimbursement for Youth Behavioral Health Services
The prevalence of behavioral health conditions, including depression, suicidal ideation, and substance use continue to increase among young people in the United States (U.S.). Medicaid is an important source of health coverage for youth in the rural U.S., covering 47% of youth. Because Medicaid is jointly funded by states and the federal government and is administered by each state within federal guidelines, reimbursement policies for behavioral health care vary across states.
This brief provides a structured review of the state-level policies and federal and state funding mechanisms that may affect the supply of behavioral health services for children and youth through 24 years of age.
Among the findings:
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January 7, 2025
RTRC Telehealth Policy Brief Highlights Need for More Health Equity Focused Research
In December 2024, the Rural Telehealth Research Center (RTRC) released a Research and Policy Brief titled, The Role of Relaxed Telehealth Policy on Health Equity in Telehealth Utilization and Outcomes During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: A Living Systematic Review.
The brief underscores the significant telehealth policy changes that have occurred since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic as the foundation for enabling the ability to better understand the variety of implications of increased telehealth use, such as access to care, health outcomes, and cost. For this study in particular, the RTRC sought to conduct a systematic review of the ways in which telehealth has been shown to address health disparities.
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