Question

500-700 words

Topic: Lack of acces to care in rural areas

1.Describe the health care barrier of lack of acces to care in rural areas.

2.Present a brief summary of the lack of acces to care in rural areas : (a) Describe the problem; (b) Describe your proposed solution, briefly discussing how your proposed solution will resolve barrier or issue for in health care; and (c) Discuss the expected outcomes for your proposal.

3.Find three to five peer-reviewed articles that support your proposal. Cite the articles using APA format. Provide two or three sentences that explain why the article supports your proposed solution.

-support your position by referencing at least four to six scholarly resources. At least three of your supporting references must be from peer-reviewed resources.

Answer 1

Access to healtcare services is defined as that residents should be able to conveniently and confidently access services such as primary care, dental care, behavioral health, emergency care, and public health services. These services are lacking in rural America and as such the health statistics for this populace is poor.

1. The barrier is on account of the following:

         (a) Lack of health insurance - Upto 15% of the rural people are uninsured. As such they are        excluded from the coverage.

         (b) Non-availibility of trained staff - Rural areas face a shortage of qualified medical staff. In some states this reaches upto 50%.

        (c) Distance - Rural settlements are spread out leading to large distances within the periphery of the county. This dissuades from seeking medical attention at the critical time.

(2) Problem

Lack of access to healthcare services in rural areas.

(3) Proposed Solution

1. Lack of health insurance among rural people is the primary cause of lack of access. 15% of the uninsured rural population amounts to about 9 mn. Surely it is not the availibility of insurers that is the crux of the matter but the fact that individuals are unable to afford it due to their limited financial status. The option then seems to be to subsidize it through state/federal grant. This subsidy can then be recovered from people who are already insured.

2. Non-availibility of trained staff - One solution would to make it compulsory for health care professionals to do their internship and a rural posting once every few years. This will provide the health care centres with their needs.

3. Distance - DIstances play a vital role as time is of essence in this field. Not all rural folk have a car available with them and hence are unable to reach the centre. The proposal is to enhance the public transportation in rural areas.

(4)Possible outcomes

1. Debatable - The proposition to cover rural healthcare costs by levying a surcharge on insuring paying population is viable. But the exact numbers need to be worked out to see its effect.

2. Plausible

3. Plausible

(5)   (a) 2013 National Academies report, Access to Healthcare in America

       (b) 2014 RUPRI Health Panel report

       (c) 2014 report, Access to Rural Health Care - A Literature Review and New Synthesis

       The above three reports on rural healthcare list out the problems and possible solutions. Fr example the possibility of internship/rural posting is a solution proposed in the 2014 report, Access to Rural Health Care.

(6) (a) Access to Health Care Services in Rural Areas: Delivery and Financing Issues,(Bindman, Keane, and Lurie, 2005)

      (b) Rosenblatt RA, Moscovice IS. Rural Health Care. New York: John Wiley & Sons;2015

      (c) The Plight of Rural Hospitals,Codman Research Group, Inc., 2010