Disabilities

Completed Projects

Listed by project completion date. You can also view these projects alphabetically.

Housing as a Social Determinant of Rural Health
The purpose of this project was to identify rural/urban and within-rural differences in housing quality and its relationship to health and disability status, especially for individuals living in poverty. We also identified rural-specific housing issues and innovative policy solutions to address housing challenges in order to improve rural health.
Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Disabilities, Environmental and agricultural health, Health disparities and health equity, Poverty, Public health, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health

Rural/Urban Differences in Health and Health Care Access for LGBT Adults
The purpose of this project was to identify rural/urban differences in health and health care access for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adults. We also identified within-rural differences among LGBT adults by race, ethnicity, age, disability status, and socio-economic status. Finally, we identified examples of best practices supporting LGBT health and wellness in rural areas.
Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Aging, Cancer, Disabilities, Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+), Mental and behavioral health, Minority health, Poverty, Rural statistics and demographics, Social determinants of health

Aging in Place in Rural America: What Does It Look Like and How Can It Be Supported?
In general, people want to age in place. This project looked at the structures in place to help them do so and how those structures vary by rurality. Federal, state, and local policy implications for improving health outcomes and quality of life for rural older adults aging in place were also be identified.
Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Aging, Disabilities, Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Home health, Long-term care, Social determinants of health

Healthcare Use and Access Among Rural & Urban Non-elderly Disabled Medicare Beneficiaries
This project explored healthcare use and barriers to healthcare access among disabled Medicare beneficiaries under 65 in rural and urban areas. The study was based on quantitative analyses of the 2009-2013 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey.
Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Disabilities, Health disparities and health equity, Medicare

Out-of-Pocket Costs Among Rural Medicare Beneficiaries
The purpose of this project is to examine out-of-pocket spending among Medicare beneficiaries, to identify whether there are rural-urban differences in out-of-pocket costs, and to explore what factors account for these differences. Should Medicare redesign occur, this study will provide important information against which to assess the possible impact of different design options on rural Medicare beneficiaries.
Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Disabilities, Medicare

Rural Residential Care: The Implications of Federal and State Policy Changes
This project will assess the impact on Medicaid-funded rural residential care options of new and proposed federal policy guiding state compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The extent to which rural facilities are able to comply with the proposed guidelines may affect their eligibility for funding through Home and Community-Based Services waiver programs.
Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Aging, Disabilities, Medicaid and CHIP

Disability Burdens Among Rural and Urban Older Americans
This project will use the 1994-2000 Second Longitudinal Study of Aging to develop detailed estimates of healthy, disabled, and total life expectancy among rural and urban populations. We will develop and compare the estimates between women and men, by race/ethnicity, and across differing levels of education.
Research center: Rural and Minority Health Research Center
Topics: Aging, Disabilities, Health disparities and health equity, Long-term care, Rural statistics and demographics
Medicaid Budget Cuts: Effects on Rural Nursing Homes and Rural Elderly and Disabled
This project will investigate whether nursing home quality and access to nursing home care have eroded in rural areas as a result of changes in Medicare payments or reductions in Medicaid nursing home payments from 2000-2003.
Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Aging, Disabilities, Long-term care, Medicaid and CHIP

Medicaid Budget Cuts and Long-Term Care Supplement
Data on each state will be collected identifying all the changes made to their Medicaid program in the area of long-term care or related services to the frail elderly and disabled, and a policy paper addressing the impact of Medicaid cuts on long term care services, particularly among the elderly in rural areas, will be produced.
Research center: Southwest Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Aging, Disabilities, Long-term care, Medicaid and CHIP
Unmet Needs for Health Care Services: An Analysis of Children with Special Health Care Needs in Rural Areas
This project will study whether parents of children with special healthcare needs (CSHCNs) who live in rural areas are less likely to perceive the need for routine and specialty medical care than their metropolitan counterparts, and whether CSHCNs that live in rural areas face a greater risk of having unmet needs for healthcare services than their metropolitan counterparts.
Research center: North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Topics: Children and adolescents, Disabilities, Health services, Oral health

Urban and Rural Differences in Utilization Patterns, Risk Factors and Expenditures of the Dually Eligible Elderly and Non-Elderly Persons with Disabilities
Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
Topics: Aging, Disabilities, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare