Private health insurance

Current Projects

• A Closer Examination of Rural Hospital Bypass
  This project will estimate the rural hospital bypass rate using all-payer claims data for a set of states and compare patients based on the inpatient treatments and procedures received relative to those routinely provided by rural facilities.
  Research center: Rural Health Equity Research Center
  Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Health reform, Health services, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, Medicare Advantage (MA), Minority health, Private health insurance, Uninsured and underinsured
  
• Changes in Rural Health Insurance Coverage, 2020-2023
  This project uses secondary data sources to characterize changes in health insurance coverage during the public health emergency (2020-2023) for rural and urban people according to demographic, employment, and geographic characteristics, and to describe how changes in federal policies impacted coverage. Researchers also assess the potential impact of maintaining more robust marketplace subsidies on rural and urban coverage rates once the "unwinding" of continuous Medicaid enrollment is complete.
  Research center: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
  Topics: Health reform, Healthcare financing, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, Medicare Advantage (MA), Private health insurance, Rural statistics and demographics, Uninsured and underinsured
  
• Impact of High Deductible Health Plans on Rural Populations
  Using data from Merative MarketScan insurance claims, this study will investigate utilization, spending, and care patterns of rural members enrolled in high deductible health plans (HDHP) compared to traditional plans. Trends in health outcomes before and after HDHP growth will be assessed to inform policy design tailored to rural residents.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Healthcare financing, Private health insurance, Rural statistics and demographics
  
• Out-of-Pocket Spending Among Privately Insured Rural and Urban Residents
  Out-of-pocket spending for healthcare services has been on the rise as deductibles and other cost-sharing requirements among the privately insured increase. This study compares rural and urban out-of-pocket healthcare spending to identify whether rural residents have been disproportionately affected by this trend.
  Research center: Maine Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Healthcare access, Healthcare financing, Private health insurance, Public health, Uninsured and underinsured
  
• Postpartum Morbidity and Mortality and Health Care Utilization in Rural vs. Urban Communities
  Using 2006-2018 data from the National Health Interview Survey linked to the National Death Index through 2019, this project will examine postpartum mortality among rural and urban residents. We will also evaluate differences in health, health care utilization, and barriers to care across rural and urban communities.
  Research center: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
  Topics: Health disparities and health equity, Healthcare access, Maternal health, Medicaid and CHIP, Mental and behavioral health, Private health insurance, Social determinants of health, Uninsured and underinsured, Women
  
• Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Penetration in Rural vs. Urban Healthcare Settings in the U.S.
  This study will include an analysis of 2018/2019 Medicare, Medicaid and Commercial claims to compare the penetration of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) and its different components in rural compared to urban healthcare settings. Within the overarching analysis, the study team will examine the type of interventions conducted within the SBIRT framework stratified by provider type, healthcare setting, and rural and urban provider ZIP codes. Findings will be analyzed within the context of county-level substance use rates, historical enactment of state SBIRT billing codes, overdoses, and alcohol poisoning-based hospital admissions contrasting trends in SBIRT administration with a proxy for community need.
  Research center: Rural Health Equity Research Center
  Topics: Chronic diseases and conditions, Health promotion and disease prevention, Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare, Mental and behavioral health, Private health insurance, Public health, Substance use and treatment
  
• Third Party Negotiated Pricing in Rural and Urban Hospitals
  We will use third party negotiated pricing information to compare prices in urban and rural hospitals, across a variety of common services. Because there has been poor compliance with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requirement to publish third party negotiated pricing, we will also examine if the availability of this information differs for rural and urban hospitals.
  Research center: Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Topics: Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Healthcare financing, Hospitals and clinics, Medicare, Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS), Private health insurance