Research Alert: September 26, 2024

Pediatric and Pregnancy-related Visits at Rural Health Clinics in 2018 Among Medicaid/CHIP Enrollees in 20 States

This policy brief reports on the percentage of Medicaid-enrolled children and reproductive age women with pregnancy-related service use who visited a Rural Health Clinic (RHC) in 2018 in 20 states. This brief also describes the most common health services provided and medical conditions seen in each state.

Key Findings:

• Among children and young adults enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP in 20 states, around 1 in 10 visited an RHC in 2018. For those living in rural areas, around 1 in 5 visited an RHC.
• States in the sample with the highest percentage of their pediatric population visiting an RHC at least once in 2018 were Vermont (32%), Mississippi (26%), South Dakota (22%), and Montana (20%).
• Among reproductive age women enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP with pregnancy-related service use in 20 states in 2018, 1 in 25 had a pregnancy-related visit to an RHC. For those living in rural areas, this was approximately 1 in 11.
• States in the sample with the highest percentage of their pregnancy-related population visiting an RHC at least once in 2018 for a pregnancy-related visit were Mississippi (13%), Vermont (11%), Kentucky (9%), South Dakota (9%), and Montana (9%).

Additional Resources of Interest:

• Identifying Rural Health Clinics Within the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) Analytic Files
• More FORHP-funded research on Medicaid and CHIP
• More information about the Maine Rural Health Research Center